7 Steps To Better Chess - Schiller

STEPS TO
BETTER CHESS
STEPS TO
BETTER CHESS
A GUIDE TO IMMEDIATELY
MAKING YOU A BmER PLAYER
ERIC SCHillER
CARDOZA PUBliSHING
This book is dedicated to all those who have taught me

lessons over the years, on and off the chessboard.
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Copyright 2010 by Eric Schiller

-All Rights Reserved -
Second Printing
Library of Co ng ress Catalog No: 2010921 135
ISBN 10: l-58042-240-3
ISBN: 13 978-1-58042-240-6
f(mncrly titled
Development of a
Chess 1Haster
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Brief Notes on Chess Notation
10
Step 1: Lessons ;n the Open;ng
Forgetting About the Edges
11
Pins, Forks and Other Objects of Torture
13
T he Analysis Ain't Done 'Till You Stick a Fork in it
15
Liberation and Revolution
16
T he Opponent is No Dummy!
18
Know All the Mating Positions!
19
Step 2: Lessons ;n Bask Strategy
25
The Opening Revolves Around the Center
25
Don't Stop Analyzing When You Win Material!
31
Is it Time to Attack Yet?
36
Do Not Put Off Until Next Move That

Which Can be Done Right Away!
39
Overly Optimistic Sacrifice
42
Step 3: Lessons ;n Bask TacUcs
45
Castle!
46
Be Prepared!
47
Prepare Deeply
52
Don't Get Seduced by a Promising Line!
55
Garbage Stinks!
61
Don't Improvise Your Way into Opening Traps!
63
Don't Break Too Soon!
68
Step 4: Lessons ;n the Mjddlegame
71
Bad Timing
72
Lacking_ the Finishing Touch-A
73
Lacking the Finishing Touch-B
76
Too Clever by Half-A
77
Too Clever by Half-B
79
Too Clever by Half-C
81
Greed Kills
82
Confusionary Riffs-A
84
Confusionary Riffs-B
87
Survival is not a Temporary Occupation!
91
Yes, You can Sacrifice on an Empty Square!
93
Positional Weaknesses Undiagnosed
96
Nervous Moves
97
Step 5: Lessons in the Endgame
101
Know all the Basic King and Pawn Positions!
104
Bishops of Opposite Colors Don't Always Draw
107
Excessive Ambition
108
Forgetting to Play a Necessary Move
112
Eyes for the Wrong Square
114
Adjournment Analysis Debugged at the Board
116
Step 6: Lessons Learned
123
Opening Preparation
125
Prepare Deeply!
128
Inspiration as Preparation
131
The Roundabout Attack
138
Speculative Play Rewarded-A
142
Speculative Play Rewarded-B
150
Speculative Play Rewarded-C
155
Speculative Play Rewarded-D
161
Patience! -A
166
Patience! -B
169
Deeee-Fense!
172
An Unusual Stalemate
175
Endgame Technique-A
177
Endgame Technique-B
178
Endgame Technique-C
180
Endgame Technique-D
183
Endgame Technique-E
184
Step 7: Final Thoughts
189
INTRODUCTION
The Lessons
Chess is a game where winning is a result of a mistake . If you

don 't make a mistake , you can 't lose . ln most game s , both sides
make a number of errors and the one who makes the last big
mistake - leading to checkmate -loses . All chessplayers make
mistakes . Even the great World Champions have managed to
play some dreadful moves. Beginners naturally make a lot
of mistakes, even accidental ly losing pieces , but can often
survive or even prevail , with a little help from the opponent.
When facing stronger opposition , however, even a small error
can lead to defeat . To make progress as a player, your number
one task is to eliminate , or at least limit, your mistakes.
This book aims to investigate how bad moves can push
past all the superior alternatives , and often lead to defeat . We 'll
look at typical mistakes as seen in my own games , hoping that
you will learn from them and be able to avoid them in your
own games. Many of these lessons were painful to me as a
player. In most cases , I ' ve been able to understand why the
errors were made .
Although I can 't say that all of them have been purged from
my system, you ' l l see examples where I have overcome or
avoided some common pitfalls. I ' m confident that once you ' ve
worked through this book , your play will improve and you will
be able to do without some of the painful experiences at the
chess board that are a large part of the learning experience .
This book contains valuable lessons in every phase of the
game . The seven steps to better chess are organized as follows:
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
1. L ESSONS IN THE OPENING
The opening contains more danger than mere traps , as

shown in our first chapter. The art of preparing for battle
has been raised to new heights with universal access to
chess computers and chess database software . Psychological
preparation can be smashed by taking the game out of known
paths - but how to know what the enemy knows? I learned
a number of lessons in opening strategy and psychological
preparation, which are shared here .
2. L ESSONS IN B ASIC TACTICS
This chapter deals with basic tactical errors , which plague

top players as well as beginners . After all , in order to win a chess
game , the opponent must make some kind of error. Without a
serious mistake , the games are likely to end in draws. There
are many reasons tactical errors are made , and half a dozen
examples of psychological and other errors are presented .
3. L ESSONS IN B ASIC STRATEGY
The next chapter deals with strategic mistakes . Planning

is one of the hardest chess tasks . Deciding whether or not the
basis for an attack exists , or timing various positional moves ,
requires great care , and it is easy to slip up . A number of warning
signs can be seen in the games analyzed in this chapter.
4. L ESSONS IN THE MIDDLEGAME
The following chapter deals with middle game lessons , with

a baker's dozen of examples of middlegame play gone awry.
Advanced strategy and tactics are seen here , together with
many psychological mistakes . These were painful mistakes on
my part , and I was duly punished for most of them. You can
avoid this fate by keeping in mind the psychological traps that
are likely to trip you up during the game .
INTRODUCTION
5. LESSONS IN THE ENDGAME
We then reach the chapter on endgames. It took me a

long time to even begin serious study of this critical stage of
the game , as I explain at the start of the chapter. I have tried
to make up for more-or-less ignoring the fundamentals of
endgame play by devoting considerable study time to it over
the past couple of decades . Just because I learned late doesn't
mean you can 't benefit now by avoiding my mistakes.
6 . LESSONS L EARNED!
After witnessing all of these errors , you might be inclined

to wonder how I could ever pull off an upset against my
betters . The fi nal chapter shows how I learned some lessons
and applied them against top-flight competition . The games in
this chapter aren't necessarily my best , but they are instructive
wins over players rated from 2400 to 2650 . Since my peak
rating was 2370, they qualify as major upsets . Most of my
opponents were Grandmasters , and with the exception of one
simul game from my youth , all were played in tournaments
with prize money at stake .
I hope that when you have finished playing over the games
in this book you will have learned quite a lot and will make
fewer mistakes in your own games. Perhaps the fi nal chapter
will help give you the confidence to play fearlessly against all
opponents , no matter how high they are rated . Even the very
best players are far from perfect , and in any case , if you do not
make a mistake , they cannot defeat you !
7. FINAL THOUGHTS
I ' ll wrap the lessons up with some final advice and

hopefully, send you on your way as a better chess player
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
BRIEF NOTES ON CHESS NOTATION

Each square can be described by combining the file and rank . .
The horizontal rows of the board, called "ranks" are labeled a-h. The
vertical columns of the board, called "files" are labeled 1-8. Each
square can be described by combining the file and rank, To indicate
a move, we start with the abbreviation of tbe piece being moved, as
indicated in the chart below. If a pawn moves, we don't bother with
any symbol.
King
Queen
Rook
Bishop
Knight
Pawns
The
- .,.,nk:
(omitted)
abbreviation
is
combined with the square

that the piece lands on.
For example, if a bishop
moves from fl to b5, we
write Bb5. When a piece
makes a capture, an
is
inserted between the first letter of the name of the piece in question
and the destination square. For example, if the bishop had captured an
enemy piece at b5, we write Bxb5.
When a pawn makes a capture, we indicated the file (but not rank)
the pawn started on, followed by an x, and then the destination square.
lf the capture at b5 was made by a pawn on the c-file (at c4), instead of
the bishop, we write cxb5..
Kingside castling is indicated by two zeroes separated by a dash:
0-0. Queenside castling is represented by three zeroes separated by

dashes: 0-0-0. Check is indicated by a plus sign (+). Checkmate is
indicated by the symbol #.
Chessplayers also use a set of symbols to express opinions on the
position, or to point out special features. Cardoza Publishing prefers
words, but we do adopt the standard suffixes to indicate the quality of
a move, as in the following table.
Good move
??
Blunder
Bad move
!?
Interesting move
!!
Fantastic move
?!
Questionable move
10
.t
STEP ONE
Lessons in the Opening
Tactics are the building blocks of chess and when they fall ,
the game often falls with them. Tactical errors are more
common among begi nners but even the most skil led players
drop pieces from time to time . World Champions have made
tactical errors in the opening that have cost games in as little as
a dozen moves. International Masters have dropped games in
less than half a dozen moves. So , tactical errors will always be
with us assuming my readers are human and not chess-playing
computers !
Among accomplished players , a piece is not usual ly left
hanging so that it can be captured in one move . Such errors
are rare , and not particularly instructive . Losing a piece in two
or more moves to a tactical trap or through an oversight is far
more common . Double attacks and discovered attacks should
be anticipated , but are often overlooked .
Let 's start things off with a few blunders that are typical of
amateurs , and trap a few masters , too !
FORGETTING ABOUT THE EDGES
When a piece or pawn is located on the edge of the board ,

and is not under attac k , it is easy to forget about it. The item
seems irrelevant , so no thought is given to it when grinding out
analysis . It is easy for opponents , looking for targets anywhere
on the board , to take advantage of such errors .
11
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 28 .Bf3
Pehnec vs. Schiller,

Manhattan Chess Club Tournament, 1 971
28 ... Bd5? In try ing to force pieces from the board and
draw the game , I overlook the weakness of my pawn at a7 .
GAME LESSON ONE

Never underestimate the weakness of p awns or
pieces at the edge of the board!
29.Qd4! Bxf3? 29 . . . Qe7 is strong , but easy to miss . It is

natural to th ink defensively when two pieces are under attack ,
but , the merit of this move lies i n the attack that will come
if B lack takes the a-pawn . 30 .Qxa7? Nfl +; 3 l .Kg2 Qxe I;
32 .Bxd5+ cxd5 ; 33 .Qb8+ Kg7 ; 34 .Qc7+ (34 .Qxb7+ Kh6;
35 .Qxd5 Ne3+) 34 . . . Kh6; 35 .g4 Qg3+!; 36 .Kxfl Qxh3+;
37 .Kf2 Qxg4; B lack is on top . 30.Nxf3 NfS; 3 1 .Qxa7 . White
won the endgame .
12
LESSONS IN THE OPENING
PINS, FORKS AND OTHER OB JECTS OF

TORTURE
Even World Champions make elementary tactical blunders

from time to time , but in the following example , played
recently, it is c lear that I needed to spend more time checking
for tactical traps. The pins , counter pins and fi nal fork are
quite elegant tactics in the hand of my master opponent , but I
really should have seen them coming . Counterpins , where the
pinning piece itself placed under a pin by the enemy are among
the least obvious moves in chess . See for yourself and learn
from this rich example so that you don 't blow the win as I did .
Position after 22 Nj7
. .
Schiller vs . Longren , Frisco Masters,

San Francisco, 2000
The game has been quite a battle . My king has been driven
to h3 , where it seems to be safe , and the pin at f7 should lead to
the win of a piece . All I have to do is play 23 .Qe7 ! However, I
didn 't see anything wrong with moving my queen to g4 , where
it attacks the pawn at d4 . I figured that Bxd4 and Qxg7# was
coming . It all seemed so simple at the time .
13
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
23.Qg4?? h5! Suddenly I realize that taking the pawn

al lows Black to equalize with a sac on g2 , and a discovered
attack on the bishop at e6. 24.Qg6? Surely the queen is safer
here than at f5 ? 24 .Qf5 ! was correct , but I wanted to block the
g-paw n , which might get my king into trouble .
It is remarkable that to avoid trouble on the c8-h3 diagonal
I needed to bring my queen into the line of fire ! Into the
crossfire , in fact , as she is vulnerable on the f-fi le . At least I
avoided 24 .Qxh5 ?? Bg2+ ! ! ; 25 .Kxg2 Qxe6 .
24 ...Bd7 ! !
Position after 2 4 . . Bd7!!
I didn 't even consider this move , because I didn 't realize
the bishop was pinned . I had assumed I could always capture
the knight with check, but Black's move pins the bishop on the
diagonal . Ack !
25 .Rael Bxe6+; 26.Rxe6. A rook is usually better than a
bishop , but the rook here does not pin the knight , so . . .
Make sure your pinning piece can' t be

counterpinned!
14
26 ...Ng5+! ! ; 27.Qxg5 Qxe6+. I resigned , because I ' m

going to lose the rook at f l too . A very painful lesson i n basic
tactics , which I shouldn 't need anymore .
THE ANALYSIS AIN'T DONE 'TILL YOU
STICK A FORK IN IT
One of the easiest ways to get into trouble is to fail to

analyze deeply enough . It is often difficult in a tournament ,
especially when the clock is counting down , to devote enough
time to all the critical lines in a position . Some important
variations may extend quite deep and it is easy to lose track.
Mental discipline is required. The next game was played when
I was a Class D player rated just over 1 200 . (How proud I was
of the 1 20 1 rating ! )
Position after 2 4 . . .Qe2
Schiller vs. Kiefer, National High School Championship

New York City, 1970
25.Qxe2?! A very typical and instructive error. I didn't
have the confidence to leave my bishop hanging and try 25 .b5 !
15
ERIC SCHILLER
C ARDOZA PUBLISHING
Qxb2; 26 .bxc6 . The pawn at c6 would be so weak after 1 6 . . .

b6! That would have brought about a roughly level game .
25 ... Rxe2 ; 26.Rf2? Simple miscalculation . It is true that I
will get the d-pawn if Black gets my c-pawn, but there is also
a fork of the pawns at a2 and d3 . I should have played 26 .b5 !
Rxb2 ; 27 .bxc6 bxc6; 28 .Rf2. 26 ...Rxf2; 27 .Kxf2 Nxb4;
28 .Bxd4 Nxa2; 29.Ba7 Nb4; 30.Bb8 c6; 31 .d4 d5 ; 32.cxd5
cxd5. B lack went on to win .
GAl\IE LESSON THREE

When you have analyzed a position as deeply as
you can, try to go just a bit deeper!
LIBERATION AND REVOLUTION
I did recover from the previous debacle and managed to

progress to the next level . The following battle of Class C
players shows that there was much yet to learn . Sometimes I
fell for the old trap of thinking that a pawn sitting on a square
prevents other pieces from using that square . If the pawn
moves , then I have time to defend , right?
It doesn 't work that way. If a player needs to use a square ,
which is occupied by a piece , then the best tactic is to move
the piece while making a threat . Then the opponent doesn 't
have time to react. In the next game I walk right into a punch
by giving my opponent the opportunity to clear a square with
an attacking move .
You can avoid this problem by allowing your imagination
to examine scenarios where existing pieces are removed from
the board . This is a useful exercise , which can lead to spotting
many combinations . At the very least, it helps prevent the kind
of error seen in this game .
16
Position after 23 .a4
Jed::inak vs . Schiller, Quadrangular Tournament

Long Island NY, 1 970
In this roughly level position , White creates problems for
Black . The key to the position is the a3-f8 diagonal . Naturally
since White has a blockaded pawn at b4 , I didn 't give it a
thought .
23 ... bxa4? After 23 . . . Ne7 ! B lack is not worse . 24.b5!
Wh ite 's clearance sacrifice opened up b5 , and now I can 't
avoid loss of material . 24 Ne7? After my first error, I never
recovered . B lack's position was not lost until this move . 24 . . .
NbS; 2 5 .Bb4 Qb6; 26.Bxf8 Rxf8 i s best . White w i l l lose
the b-pawn , so the position is only slightly better. 25 .Bb4. I
resigned .
..
Remember that pieces that seem immobile can

sometimes be moved after a preliminary maneuver.
17
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
THE OPPONENT IS NO DUMMY!
As i n any sport , you need to respect your opponent ! There

is a danger when things go too well and you manage to get
an advantage early in the game against an experienced and
talented opponent. It is easy to become complacent , and assume
that your opponent is going to continue to make mistakes .
After obtaining a good position , you can be tempted to play
ambitiously and boldly in positions that require patience and
slow play.
Position
Minic
vs.
a ft er 19Nd4
Schiller, Berlin Summer Open, Berlin, 1984
The opening had been going so well that I thought I had

a clear win of a pawn here . It turns out to be a major tactical
miscalculation ! 19 ...Bxc2?? Retreating the bishop to g6 would
have maintained equality. 20.Rbcl Rb4.
I had counted on this little tactic to put enough pressure at
d4 to hold the position . 21 .Redl !
18
Position after 21.Redl
Oops ! I forgot my own bishop was pinned . I have to

exchange pieces and make the most of the situation . 2 1 . .. Rxb2;
22.Rxc2 Rxc2; 23.Qxc2 Qxc2; 24.Nxc2. The pawns don 't
make up for the missing knight . White had a clear advantage
and went on to win .
The error here was one of disrespecting my IM opponent .
Something should have told me he wasn't going to hang a
pawn for nothing !
G A I\IE LESSON FIVE

When things are going well against a strong
opponent, be especially vigilant and check all
tactics carefully!
KNOW A L L THE MATING POSITIONS!
There are not all that many types of checkmates, and it

helps to know every one of them . Sometimes tragedy occurs
when a winning position turns into a loss because of a type of
checkmate that you haven 't seen before .
19
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
That's the case i n the next game , but had I not overlooked
a basic trapped piece tactic along the way I wouldn't have
needed to know it. The entire game is interesting and was
widely published . We pick it up in the early middlegame ,
where I use a fine sacrifice to gain a winning position .
Position after 1 6.h3
Meins vs . Schiller, Groningen GM Open

Netherlands 1996
This looks like a strong move since , if the bishop retreats ,
the power of the pin is lessened . B lack, however, has other
plan s . On 1 6 .Qxd5 , I intended either 1 6 . . . Nb4 or 1 6 . . . Rad8 .
The former looked good to me during the game , but maybe
it fails to a maniacally tactical line; 1 7 .Qe5 Qxe5 ; 1 8 .Nxe5
Bf5 ; 1 9 .Bxe4 Bxe4; 20 .Rc4 Nd3 ; 2 l .Rxe4 Nxb2; 22.Nxb2 f5 ;
23 .Rf4 Rxe5 ; 24 .Nc4 Rd5 ; 25 .Nxb6 axb6; 26 .a4 b5 ; 27 .Rb4 .
White i s clearly better.
16 Nxf2 ! A very strong sacri fice , which gives B lack
a defi nite advantage . 17 .Rxf2 Bxf3 . The only correct
continuation , since 1 7 . . . Qxe3 fails to 1 8 .Nxb6 ! and 1 7 . . . Bxe3 ;
1 8 .hxg4 is too much of an investment for B lack . 18.Bxf3 Bxe3 ;
...
20
19.Nc3 QgS. There is no need to capture either rook when the

bishop is so strong .
20.Kg2 d4; 2 1 .Nd5 Rad8.
At this point I thought the game was simply winning , but

White found a strong reply. 22.Rc5 Bxf2; 23.Kxf2 NeS! It took
me far too long to work out the complications , and I caught up
to my opponent on time . Each of us was down to 1 2 minutes
for the remaining 17 moves. 24.Qxd4. What a picture ! White
has veiled threats against g7 and the move Ne7+ must always
be attended to . B lack does not seem to have much of an attack ,
but in fact the attack continues. 2 4. . .Nxf3. This undermines the
knight at d5 and exposes the White king . Each of us is down to
8 minutes here . 2S.Kxf3 QfS+? !
Wrong check . I missed the fact that the White knight is lost
after . . . a6 and . . .b6 , so that White cannot afford to exchange
queens . On 25 . . . Qh5+; 26 .Qg4 Qxg4+; 27 .hxg4 b6; 28 .Rb5
a6; 29 .Rxb6 Rxd5 ; 30 .Rxa6 Rd3+ ; 3 1.Kf4 Rd2 , B lack wins .
I must admit that I missed the entire line with . . . b6 and . . . a6 .
This would have been a much more efficient line , but my move
should also win .
26.Nf4 Rxd4; 27 .RxfS Rd2; 28.Bc3 Rxa2; 29.Nh5 f6
Now 30 .Bxf6 fails to 30 . . . g6 ! 30.Rb5 Rd8; 31.Nf4 Rc2;
21
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
32.Bel b6; 33.h4 Rdl ? This rook should have stayed home ,
but I didn 't see any possible threat to my king . Extreme
time pressure was forcing me to play quickly. 34.Bb4 Rfl+;
35.Kg4 g6; 36.h5. Here all I had to do is play 36 . . .Rb l , but
with both flags hanging, I thought I saw a mating net . 36 ...
Kg7 ? ; 37.hxg6 hxg6; 38.Rd5 . Now th ings are tougher,
because the simple 38 . . . Rc7 fails to 39 .Ne6+ . Checking at f5
was necessary. 38 ...Kh6?? Now White forces mate, a pattern
I have never encountered . I just never saw it coming. 39.Bf8+
Kh7 ; 40.Rd7+ Kg8; 41 .Nxg6!
Position after 41 Nxg6
At first I thought I had won on time here, but I had

forgotten to notate the exchange at g6. Then I thought that the
position was not winning for me . Eventual ly, I realized it was
lost because of the checkmate at g7 .
Study and learn all mating positions, even those

that seem to be rare or improbable!
22
I had never seen this checkmating pattern , using bishop ,

knight and rook with no supporting king or pawns. Perhaps if
I had a minute or two I might have figured it out , but my waste
of time and poor decisions in the middlegame were the real
culprits .
Mating positions should be part of your standard arsenal ,
and all checkmates need to be learned if you want to avoid a
fate like thi s . One of my best games ever, and a major upset in
full view of a lot of top professional s , rui ned because of time
trouble and ignorance !
23
24
Strategic planning takes a long time to learn . While every

beginner knows that the ultimate goal of the game is to
checkmate the enemy king , it takes quite a while to understand
the different demands of various stages of the game . What
works wel l in the opening is not necessarily a good idea in the
middlegame , and the endgame is in a universe of its own .
THE OPENING REVOLVES AROUND THE
CENTER
The Fischer era did a lot of good for chess, but there
was a downside for those of us who had no formal training
or instruction . Fischer made hypermodern chess the norm ,
choosing defenses where B lack that did not plant a firm stake
in the center as the classical theorists were taught . Awash
in Sicilians and King's Indians, we simply did not learn the
importance of con trolling the center. Sure , it was mentioned
in some books, but other books proclaimed that center control
was a silly old myth and that the Hypermoderns had disproved
all that .
Well, the simple truth is: the center counts . Always did . It
is just that the Hypermoderns opened up some ways of playing
in the center without occupying it. That distinction was lost on
me for a long time .
This is one of my most memorable games. In fact, it was
memorable even before I played it , because I had a dream the
night before that I would be playing the White side of this
opening against Michael Wilder (who I lost to in the next
25
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
round ) , and that I would get into trouble but find an ingenious
way out.
This game was played in one of my most surprisingly
successful tournaments , the 1 979 New York City Championship .
I was playing chess seriously for the first time in several years ,
and in the middle of the tournament , I had to drive down to
Florida and fly back in time for the second weekend of play.
Along the way, I studied the Caro-Kann , using it regularly for
the first time , and it has remained a loyal friend to this day,
after bringing me from a Class A player to a Master.
Lev Alburt went on to become the United States Champion .
We became friends and wrote a book together on Lev 's favorite
Alekhine Defense . Meanwhile , here is the brutal , but not fatal ,
lesson I received at the board .
l .d4 Nf6; 2.c4 c5; 3.d5 bS; 4.a4. My old favorite again st
the Benko Gambit.
4 . . . b4; 5.Nd2 d6; 6.e4 g6; 7 .b3 Bg7; 8.Bb2 0-0 .
Position after 8 . . .0-0
Schiller vs . A/burt, NYC Championship, New York, 1 979

9.f4? This does not appear to be a bad move , but it leads to
a lost position . 9 .Bd3 was the logical move . 9 .. .e5! Ouch ! Ifl
26
LESSONS IN BASIC STRATEGY
capture at e5 , then IO .Ng4 ! followed by 10 . . .Nxe5 gives B lack

a great game . If I leave the pawn at f4 , then Black captures and
will soon occupy e5 .
I must try to keep the e-file closed while my king is still in
the center. 10.dxe6 fxe6. I may have worries on the f-file , too .
l l .g3. OK, I ' ll get some play on the diagonals after all .
ll .. .eS! Oh no ! My understanding of play in the center
was still very poor. 12 .fxe5? Thoroughly rattled , I make things
even worse . If I feared this position with f-pawns still on the
board , imagine my horror now !
12 .Ng4!
.
Position
after 1 2 . . Ng4!
It's hopeless, I thought, as I tried to decide between

1 3 .Ngf3 , the obvious move , and 1 3 .Qe2 , getting ready to castle
to the relatively safe queenside . Then a ray of hope appeared
in the form of a strange choice . 13.Ndf3! A truly remarkable
move , because it is going to be very difficult to develop the
kingside .
I have ideas for using the d2-square , which will become
clear later. 13 ...Bb7; 14.Bh3 hS. As expected . 1 4 . . . Nxe5 ;
1 5 .Bxe5 ! Bxe5 ; 1 6 .Nxe5 is complicated , but White is in the
game after either capture , or 1 6 . . . Qe7 .
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ERIC SCHILLER
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15.Qe2 Qe7 ; 16.Bxg4! 1 6 .exd6 Qxd6; 1 7 .Bxg7 Kxg7 ;

1 8 .Rd l Qf6 . B lack is in serious trouble .
16 .. .hxg4; 17.Nh4.
Position
after 1 7 Nh4
Finally, some counterplay in the form of a threatened fork

at g6. My kingside is still paralyzed , but there are no i mmediate
dangers . 17 ... Qg5 ; 18.Rd l . Here the Grandmaster slips up .
The correct plan , not easy to fi nd , is to bring the knight into
the game , and pave the way for the rook in the comer to join
the fray. 18 ...Bxe5? ! ; 19.Bxe5 QxeS; 20.Nxg6 Qxe4; 21 .Nxf8
Kxf8.
28
Position
after 21 . . .Kxj8
The pos1t10n still seems to be hopeless for White .

Exchanging queens leads to disaster on the light squares , on
either side of the board . B ut I found a clever way to complicate
the game by using the d2-square , as planned . 22.Kd2! Qd4+.
22 . . . Qxe2+; 23 .Nxe2 Bxh l ; 24 .Rxh l Nc6; 25 .h3 is certainly
no worse for White ! 23.Kc2 Qc3+ Black will vacuum the
queenside pawns . 24.Kbl Qxb3+; 25.Kc l Qc3+; 26.Kbl .
Position
after 26.Kbl
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B lack has a bishop and pawn for the rook , but can
capture at h l . Or can he? 26 ...Nd7! 26 . . . Bxh l ; 27 .Rf l + Bf3 ! ;
28 .Nxf3 Qb3+. B lack can do n o better than draw. 27.Qe6 Nf6;
28.Qxd6+.
Position
after 28.Qxd6+
B lack should still be winning , but needs to put the king

on the right square . 28 ...Kg7?? 28 . . . Kg8 ! ; 29 .Qe6+ Kh8 and
White runs out of checks . 29.Qe7+ Kh6 or 29 . . . Kh8 ; 30 .Qxb7
and sooner or later Black must take the draw. 30.Rd6. Now
B lack had no choice but to split the point. 30 ...Qb3+; 31 .Kcl
Qxc4+; 32.Kb2. Draw agreed .
There are a few lessons to be learned from this game . On
the plus side , I did manage to fi nd an escape route for the king
and never gave up the fight , no matter how badly things looked .
However, I allowed the game to open up before securing my
king , and that should have cost me the game .
30
Take care to keep your center strong until after you

cas de.
DON'T STOP ANALYZING WHEN YOU WIN

MATERIAL!
When calculating variations , you need to know how deep

to examine each line . In the first pass at a position , it is very
easy to discard lines where you pick up a piece . After all , the
opponent isn 't going to go into a line that gives away a whole
piece ! There are some positions, however, where a variation
leading to a win of material is deceptive . It is so easy to just
stop analyzing when the variation grabs the piece , but if you
do , there may be a nasty surprise at the end .
This isn 't the same as considering an opponent's possible
sacrifices . Whenever your opponents play leads to an obvious
material loss , you are natural ly suspicious. But when the
position is buried a few moves into the analytical stream , you
tend not to think of it as a sacrifice. In the game below, that 's
just what I did. Although objectively my position remained
fine , psychologically my failure to consider my opponent's
entire strategy added a lot of pressure , which in turn lead to
enough bad decisions to cost me the game .
In this game , I hadn 't managed to castle but wasn 't too
worried because my king has plenty of defense . I had ambitions
on the kingside , but felt the need to open up the game for my
bishop at b7 so that it could participate in an attack on the
enemy king .
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Position after 23 .Bd3
Delange vs . Schiller, Gausdallnternational

Norway, 1984
Black 's king is a sorry sight. I really shouldn't be thinking
about opening up the center, but that's the only arena available .
The rook stares menacingly down the g-file , but it only serves
to support some cheap threats at f3 or h3 .
23 d5! ?
I just couldn 't fi n d anything better. I saw the game
continuation through move 26 , but unfortunately missed
White 's shot on move 27 . Still, the alternatives did not impress .
23 . . . f5 ; 24 .exf5 Qc6 . The dual threats of Qxf3 and Qxc3 lead to
recovery of the pawn . White still has the advantage . 25 .Nbd2
Qxc3 ; 26 .Ra7 .
Also unappealing was 23 . . . b4; 24 .cxb4 Qxb4 ; 25 .Rb l with
an unpleasant position for B lack .
24.Nxe5 Nxe5; 25.dxe5 Kf8; 26.Qf3 Rg3.
..
32
Position after 26 . Rg3

.
I figured that after the queen retreats, I just push the f-pawn
to f3 and should clean up. One mistake is in not realizing the
critical nature of the position and devoting sufficient time to
analyzing a forced variation .
Another is underestimating , back at move 23 , the weakness
of the center and the power of the White e-pawns .
27.Qxf4! I didn 't see this sacrifice coming. Well , I saw the
move , but lazily stopped after mentally removing the bishop .
27 Rxd3; 28.e6! My opponent simply shoves the e-pawns
down my throat , one after the other, until my position chokes .
28 Qxe6; 29.Nd4.
..
. .
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position
after 29 Nd4
At this point I sti ll had half an hour left for a dozen moves ,
plenty of time . I should have spent a lot of time choosing
between c8 and d6 as destinations for my queen . My scoresheet
shows that I only thought for a couple of minutes .
29 ...Qd6?
This move looks fine , but turns out to be bad . I should have
chosen the other retreat. 29 . . .Qc8 ; 30 .Qxh6+ Ke8 ; 3 l .Qh8+
Kd7 ; 3 2 .Qxc8+ Kxc 8 ; 3 3 .exd5 Rxc3; 34 .Nxb5 Rc5 ; 35 .Na7+
Kc7 ; 36 .Nc6 Bxc6; 37 .dxc6 Kxc6; 3 8 .Ra7 Rei+; 39 .Kh2
Bd6+; 40 .g3 Bc7 . B lack has an extra piece but will have a hard
time keeping his remaining pawn . In any case , this is better
than the game !
30.e5 Qg6; 3 1 .e6!
34
Position
after 31 .e6
I spent half of my remaining half hour on this turn , mostly

trying to work out what happens if I take the c-pawn . Instinct ,
rather than concrete analysis , led me to retreat . My opponent
had over an hour left and I was beginning to get nervous .
3 1 . Bc8? 3 l . . . Rxc3 was correct . I should have taken the
pawn , and guarded the c-file . 32 .Qb8+ Bc8; 33 .Nxb5 Rc4;
34 .Nc7 ! Qf6; 35 .Qxc8+ Bd8 (35 . . . Kg7 ?? gets clobbered by
36 .Ne8+); 36.e7+ ! (Not 36 .Ra8 ?? Rc l +; 37 .Kh2 Qf4+; 3 8 .g3
Qxf2#) . 36 . . . Qxe7 ; 37 .Ra8 Kg7 ; 3 8 .Qxd8 Rei+; 39 .Kh2
Qxc7+ ; 40 .Qxc7 Rxc7; 4 1 .Rd8 Rc2 ! with a likely draw.
32.Qc7! Bxe6 ; 33.Ra8+ Kg7; 34.Qxe7 Rdl+; 35 .Kh2
Qf6?? My time was down to mere seconds, and the game
was in any case lost. 35 . . . Rxd4; 36 .cxd4 Kh7 gets blasted by
37 .Qd8 Qg7; 38 .Rb8 .
.
GAl\IE LESSON EIGHT

Remember that material advantage is only one
part of the game.
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36.Rg8+. I resigned , since after capturing the rook, the

queen fall s .
IS I T TIME T O ATTACK YET?
Attacking comes naturally to any chessplayer, especially

when facing a higher rated opponent. In the next game I am
facing a formidable opponent and one who was trained in
Russia, so possessing considerably more technical prowess
than most of the competitors . Not wanting to be ground down
during a marathon game, I naturally chose an active opening . I
play a move , which seems to take the initiative , but boomerangs
because it only succeeds in improving the opponent's position .
l .Nf3 f5; 2.g3 b6; 3.Bg2 Bb7; 4.0-0 Nf6; 5 .c4 c5 ; 6.Nc3
e6; 7 .b3 Be7; 8.Bb2 0-0; 9.d4.
Position after 9,d4
Zaltsman vs. Schiller, NYC Championship, NYC, 1979

9 ...cxd4? ! I could not resist the temptation to lure the
White queen to the center and then gain a tempo by attacking
it with my bishop . I could have equalized with the sensible 9 . . .
Ne4 !
10.Qxd4 Bc5 ; ll .Qf4.
36
Position after 11 .Q/4
l l Nh5?! I rely on an attack with . . .f4. But White has

a solid defensive formation , so perhaps ll . . . Nc6 would have
been wiser. 12.Qd2 f4; 13.Na4 fxg3; 14.hxg3.
.
I had spotted the pin on the f-pawn but overestimated the

effect of the capture at g3 , since the bishop is under attack .
14 Bxf3. 14 . . . Nxg3 ; 1 5 .Nxc5 Bxf3 was the alternative .
What a mess to have to deal with at the board . The complications
..
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ERIC SCHILLER
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continue , but White comes out on top . 1 6 .Nxe6 ! dxe6 ( 1 6 . . .

Nxfl ; 1 7 .Qd4 ! ) ; 17 .Qxd8 Rxd8; l 8 .Bxf3 Nxfl ; 1 9 .Bxa8 Nd2 ;
20 .Bg2 .
White has the bishop pair and better pawn structure .
B lack's outside passed pawn would not have been sufficient
compensation .
15.Bxf3 Rxf3; 16.exf3 Nxg3; 17 .Rfel Qh4.
Position after 1 7 . . .Qh4
This line was much easier to calculate and I figured I

would have a very strong attack . The problem that I overlooked
was the horrible lack of development on the queenside . This
reinforces the idea that my I I th move was misguided .
I was also so taken with my attack on the h-file that I
totally forgot that the h7-square would be vulnerable . As the
game show s , it is White who takes advantage of the h-file .
18.Kg2 Nh5; 19.Re4! So much for my ambition s at f4 ! If
only the rook at a8 were at f8.
19 Qe7; 20.Nxc5 bxc5 ; 21 .Rhl .
..
38
Position after 2/.Rh/
B lack's positiOn is already hopeless . 2 1 . Nf6; 22 .Qg5

Nc6; 23 .Bxf6! Qxf6; 24.Qxf6 gxf6; 25.Reh4 aS; 26.Rxh7
Ra7; 27 .Rh8+ Kg7; 28.Rlh7+. White eventually won .
.
G AME LESSON NINE

Keep in mind that when you open up the game,
your opponent has more mobility, too.
DO NOT PUT OFF UNTIL NEXT MOVE THAT

WHICH CAN BE DONE RIGHT AWAY!
I n the next position , I have the opportunity to radically

change the game by capturing at f3. My decision was to
refrain from opening up a big b l -h7 diagonal for my opponent,
thinking that it would therefore remain forever closed , except
under the most favorable of circumstances. It turns out that the
most favorable circumstances were right there on the board ,
and the moment to act was now ! After letting the opportunity
slip, I don 't get another chance .
39
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
The lesson here is that you have to work extra hard

in "critical positions ," where the nature of the game can be
changed radically. As we have seen , it is a mistake to open
things up prematurely, but no less an error to delay when the
active move is the correct one .
Perhaps the best advice I can give is that you should
think with a positive attitude . Ask yourself, "Can I get away
with this?" rather than "What can happen to me if I open up
the game?" while allowing yourself extra time to ponder the
position . Taking ten percent of your total time is reasonable ,
and even more if the position is very complicated .
Position after 24Rel
Finegold vs. Schiller, Midwest Masters, Chicago, 1984

I have typically made more errors in good positions than
bad ones . I ' ve got a great game here , but my next move is a
turkey.
24 Qa3?! Why not just win material? The move is too
ambitious , hoping the pressure on e3 will be too great . The
ftaw in my thinking clearly involved failure to appreciate the
dangers along the b l -h7 diagonal .
.
40
After 24 .. .f5 ; 25 .Bf2 , White could defend without

difficulty. 24 . . .exf3 ! , however, is another matter. 25 .gxf3 Rxe3 ;
26 .Qxe3 Rxe3 ; 27 .Rxe3 f6 ! I missed this defensive resource ,
which protects e8 . B lack has a queen and pawn for two rooks ,
and more White pawns are likely to fall . I ' m not sure if B lack's
advantage is winning , but it is indisputable .
25.Qc2! f5. Too late to capture now ! 25 . . .exf3 ??; 26 .Qh7+
Kf8; 27 .Qh8#.
2614 Bfi; 27 .Qb3 Qa6. So much for my attack. The
position is now objectively about even , but it was hard for me
to come up with a coherent plan . I hadn 't rebounded from the
psychological effects of my decision at move 24 . 28.a3 Rg6;
29.Ba2 Na4; 30.Qc2 Nb6; 31 .Qc3 Na4.
Having let the advantage slip, I was not opposed to a draw.
32.Qb4. White does not retreat . After all , the two bishops
are worth something .
32 b6; 33.Qd2 ReS; 34.Bb3 b5; 35.Qb4 Rg4; 36.cxb5
cxb5 ; 37.Bxfi+ Kxfi ; 38.Qb3+. White threatens to trade
rooks and grab the b-pawn , so Black has to block.
38 Rc4! ; 39.Bg3 h5; 40.Re2 .
.
..
I ' ve managed to hold my own , and there is nothing wrong

with the position . However, the end of time control is always
41
ERIC SCHILLER
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dangerous territory. I decided to break the pin and get my king

to safety, but in doing so I lock my rook at g4 . 40 Kg6? Better
was 40 ... h4; 4 l .Be l h3; 42 .g3 Nb6 ; 43 .Rbl Nd5 ! ? I missed
this shot during the game . 44 .Qxb5 Qxb5 ; 45 .Rxb5 Ke6 . White
is better, but the knight is more valuable than the bishop and
White 's extra pawn is blockaded . This would have been better
than the game .
..
lb1111MIII
Setze the moment!
41 .Rec2 Rxc2 ; 42 .Rxc2 b4! ? B lack 's position is worse

than it looks , as the fol lowing variations show. So I try to
open a line for my queen . If 42 . . . Kh7 ; 43 .Qd5 Qg6; 44 .Rc8 !
White has an elegant win . 44 . . .Nb6 ; 45 .Qg8+ Kh6; 46 .Qh8+
Qh7 ; 47 .Rc6+ Rg6; 48 .Qd8 ! I wasn 't going to fal l for 42 . . . h4;
43 .Qd5 Kh7 ; 44.Rc6 Qxc6; 45 .Qxc6 hxg3; 46 .Qxb5 with an
easy win for White .
43.axb4 Kh7; 44.Ra2 h4; 45 .Rxa4 Qg6; 46.Rxa7 hxg3;
47 .h3. What a horrible place for a rook ! 47 ...Qc6. Perhaps my
opponent will overlook a back rank mate? 48.Ra l . No such
luck . I held out another dozen moves before White won .
OVERLY OPTIMISTIC SA CRIFICE
Parting with the lady is a lot of fun at the chess board , if

not in real life . Queen sacrifices are among the most accessible
items of chess art , and I try to play them when the opportunity
seems ripe . In a number of cases, the temptation to create a
work of art can override common sense itself as the following
game shows . You must not allow yourself to be seduced by
a beautiful move , because the consequences can be severe
indeed .
42
Position after 1 7.Qe I
Loscuto.lf vs. Schiller, People s Open, Berkeley, 1997

17 ...Bxf4?? All I had to do was play the obvious 1 7 . . . a6 .
B l ack is clearly better. But I decide to sac the queen for two
pieces , a pawn or two , and an attack.
18.Bxg4+ Nxg4; 19.Qxe7 Bxh2+; 20.Khl Rhe8; 21 .Qg5
f5; 22.Nxf5! hS. I couldn 't capture at f5 . 22 ... gxf5 ; 23 .Qxf5+
Rd7 ; 24.Nxa7+ Kd8 ; 25 .Qxg4 and White wins .
23.Nh4 Bg3; 24.Nxg6 Kb8; 25.Rf7 a6; 26.Na3 Rd3;
27.Nf4 Rde3; 28.Nxh5 .
I suppose I could have resigned with only half the material
I need to make up for the missing queen . However, White's
king is not safe , so I try a few tricks.
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ERIC SCHI LLER
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Amazingly, these few tricks salvage a draw !

28 ...Nf2+. 28 . . Re l + is easily handled by 29 .Rfl . 29.Rxf2
Bxf2; 30.Qf4+ Ka7; 3l .Qxf2. White has won two pieces for
the rook , but the pin on the g-pawn gives me a fork which
picks up the knight at h5 . 3 1 . ..Rh3+ ! ; 32.Kgl RxhS; 33.Rel
Reh8; 34.Qf4 Rh4; 35 .Qe3 Rh2; 36.Qg3 Rh l+; 37.Kf2
Rf8+; 38.Ke2 Re8+; 39.Kd2 Rhxel ; 40.Qxel Rxe l ; 41 .Kxel
Bxg2; 42.Nc2.
Draw agreed .
.
A win is more important than a brilliancy prize!
44
I always advise my students to castle as soon as there is daylight

between the king and rook , unless there is an immediate win
available . Setting aside castling in favor of some other move
is an i ntegral component of some advanced opening strategies ,
but in general , if you don 't castle , sooner or later it will come
back to bite you . All my students know this , though they aren't
perfect i n their execution . Perhaps they are fol lowing my
dubious example , as from time to time I still get i nto trouble
because my king safety is not my own top priority.
Even prepared openings have to take care to watch for king
safety, and there are some other speed bumps that must be taken
seriously. Many are psychological . Some people wonder, quite
legitimately, why someone who has done so much opening
analysis as author, trainer, second and commentator could
possibly fall apart early in the game . I wish I knew the answer!
Most of the time , the problem arises from an irrepressible
improvisational streak .
You should stick to your opening preparation unless you
see something at the board that gives you some reason to
reconsider your analysis.
In most cases it is better to play your prepared move , and
trust your preparation . If it doesn 't work out , you can repair the
problem at home where you can devote time and resources to
the project.
The other lessons i n this chapter include insuring that you
take into consideration alternative plans for your opponent so
that you aren't confronted by unexpected novelties early in the
game - and the need for patience .
45
ERIC SCHILLER
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CASTL E!
Castling is critical for king safety. Just do it. Because

when you don 't, there 's trouble ahead . And if the enemy has
a rook on the e-file, castle quickly, because a clogged file can
be unplugged quite rapidly, especially if the e-pawns are no
longer on their home squares .
Position after 1 5 . . Rae8!
Schiller vs . Norwood, NatWest Young Masters

London , l 986
Fifteen moves into the game , my king is still in the center.
I can kingside castle at wil l , which is some justification for
allowing other moves to come first . At this point , I should
castle immediately, or after a capture at e5 and f5 . I have four
minor pieces defending the king , but the rook on e8 is ready to
open fire ! It is stunning how quickly the game falls apart.
16.g4? Bxd3 ! ! I overlooked this. 17.Bxd3 exf4; 18.0-0.
Finally, but it is too late . 18 .. Jxe3; 19.Ng5 dS. Two pawns
down , I couldn 't save the game .
46
LESSONS IN BASIC TACTICS
GAME LESSON TWELVE

Failure to castle is often a capital offense, and your
king may lose his head as a result!
BE PREPARED!
Opening preparation i s part of every player 's experience .

Even beginners usually have a sense of the first few moves
they intend to play, even if it is as simple as meeting J .e4 with
1 . . . e5 . When just starting out , it is enough to know that you
should plant a pawn in the center, develop pieces , castle , and
try to connect your rooks by removing any pieces that stand
between them. That simple advice can keep you out of trouble ,
but as you progress you ' l l find that you need more specific
preparation for a variety of enemy plans .
At the higher levels of chess , opening preparation can
become compulsive , with hours and hours of study invested in
fi nding a single good move which might not get played until
after move 25 , but for most players , such work is a waste of
time as it is unlikely any opponent wil l follow some theoretical
recommendation so deep into the game . How deeply you
should prepare is the subject of the next lesson . In this game ,
you wi ll see how it is difficult to come up with good moves
when caught unprepared .
Here is a game in which the six-time US Champion
demonstrates his originality in the opening , and strength in
the middlegame. After a dubious exchange sacrifice , I am
positional ly lost . Damn swi sses ! No time to prepare. Five
minutes with Najdorf meister, Danny Olim, and I wou ld have
raced into B rowne's favorite defense , looking forward to an
interesting theoretical duel .
Against a GM , mainline theory is the best plan . Use the
mighty power of Grandmaster experiences to present the GM
with the need to improve on existing theory, or sidestep it with
an inferior line . B ut I couldn 't walk into such a theoretical
47
ERIC SCHILLER
C ARDOZA PUBLISHING
jungle without preparation , so I switched to the Reti (or so I

thought) , an opening which I would use during the next year to
knock off two Grandmasters .
l .Nf3 d6.
A last chance for me to enter the labyrinth of the Sicilian
with 2 .e4, and I thought about it - for a split second . 2 .d4.
Well , we may go into a Torre after 2 . . . Nf6 ; 3 .Bg5 . I know a
little something about that , having written books on it.
2 Bg4.
The Wade Defense took me by surprise . True , it i s now a
respectable opening , but still has an unorthodox flavor, which
I thought was unappealing to Browne 's rather conventional
palate . I wasn 't too unhappy, since I play the defense myself,
and could at least choose a line , which made me a bit
uncomfortable when I was on the Black side of the position .
3.c4.
At the board , I wondered what Grandmaster Tisdall would
do? The expatriate American was my housemate for a while in
England , and I recalled that he likes the plan with Qb3 . When
we were fiddling around with the position once I wasn 't able to
come up with a convincing counterplan . Why this entered my
head , I do not know, but I didn 't really consider the immediate
e4 , leading to main lines , which I enjoy as B lack .
3 ...Nd7 ; 4.Qb3 RbS.
..
48
Position after 4 . . .Rb8
Schiller vs . Browne, Western States Open , Reno, 1 99 7

Now we are getting weird . O r s o I thought . I really should
have been familiar with this position , as it should have been i n
m y repertoire as B lack . But m y general opening preparation
had a serious gap , and now I had to fi nd a way to climb out of
the hole and get to some sort of position that would not give
my opponent an advantage .
5 .g3. I felt the bishop would be useful at g2 . Browne 's
move is by no means original , strange as it may appear. With
White committed to the fianchetto , B lack may be able to use a
break with . . . b5 . There are plenty of alternatives , and perhaps
hitting the bishop with 5 .h3 is best .
5 .. .g6; 6.Bg2 Bg7 . 6 . . .c5 ; 7 .e3 Qa5+; 8 .Nbd2 Bxf3 ;
9 .Bxf3 Bg7; 1 0 .Qd3 Ngf6; 1 1 .0-0 0-0 ; 1 2 .Bg2 b5 ; 1 3 .b3 led
to obscure complications in Olafsson-Kosten , Hastings 1 990 . I
was unprepared for thi s line and was improvising . Had I been
familiar with the prominent games I mention now in hindsight,
I would have fared much better in the game .
7 .Be3.
Now we are getting weird . Or so I thought . I really should
have been familiar with this position , as it should have been in
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ERIC SCHILLER
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my repertoire as B lack. But my general opening preparation

had a serious gap , and now I had to find a way to climb out of
the hole and get to some sort of position that would not give
my opponent an advantage .
S.g3. I felt the bishop would be useful at g2 . Browne 's
move is by no means original , strange as it may appear. With
White committed to the fianchetto , B lack may be able to use a
break with . . .bS . There are plenty of alternatives , and perhaps
hitting the bishop with 5 .h3 is best .
S .g6; 6.Bg2 Bg7. 6 . . . c5; 7 .e3 Qa5+; 8 .Nbd2 Bxf3 ;
9 .Bxf3 B g 7 ; I O .Qd3 Ngf6 ; 1 1 .0-0 0-0; 1 2 .Bg2 bS ; 1 3 .b3 led
to obscure complications in Olafsson-Kosten , Hastings 1 990 . I
was unprepared for this line and was improvising . Had I been
familiar with the prominent games I mention now in hindsight,
I would have fared much better in the game .
7.Be3 .
.
Position after 7.Be3
7 ...Nh6. 7 . . . cS can be played immediately, and usually play

transposes . 8 .Nbd2 Nh6; 9 .dxc5 NxcS ; I O .BxcS dxcS ; 1 1 .0-0
0-0; 1 2 .Ne4 QaS ; 1 3 .Rfd l b5 ! ; 1 4 .Nxc5 Rfc 8 ; 1 5 .Nd7 bxc4
forces White to accept a miserable game after 1 6 .Qe3 NfS
or go for broke here . 1 6 .Qxb8 Rxb8 ; 1 7 .Nxb8 Bxb2 ; 1 8 .Nc6
50
Qa4 ! ; 1 9 .Rab l c3 and B lack won without difficulty in Scarella

vs. Bezold , 1 992 World Junior Championship. But my next
move takes the game into new territory.
8 .Ng5?! I wanted to try to trap the bishop . 8 .Nbd2 c5 leads
to the previous note .
8 ...c5! 8 . . .Nf5 ; 9 .h3 Nxe3; I O .Qxe3 Bf5 ; l l .Nc3 was what
I had in mind . 9 .dxc5 NfS! 9 . . . Qa5+; I O .Bd2 Qxc5 ; l l .h3 Bf5 ;
1 2 .e4 Be6; 1 3 .Nxe6 fxe6 struck me as a position with more
potential for White .
10.h3.
Position after JO.h3
I decided to sacrifice the exchange at a l , hoping to mount

an attack that never really materializes . I O .cxd6 Nxe3 ; l l .Qxe3
Bxb2 is also nothing for White . For example , 1 2 .Bd5 e6; 1 3 .h3
B xa l ; 1 4 .hxg4 Qa5+; 1 5 .Nd2 Qc3 ! 10 ...Nxe3; l l .Qxe3 Bxb2;
12.hxg4 NxcS ; 13.Qf4 f6; 14.Nxh7 Bxa l ; 15.Nd2 QaS;
16.Bd5 Kd7; 17.Kfl BeS; 18.Qe3 Qc3!
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ERIC SCHI LLER
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Position after 18
. . .
Qc3
White is already lost . Left to my own devices against a

Grandmaster, I was unable to carry out the opening phase of
the game properly and went down to defeat at move 40 .
GAME LESSON THIRTEEN

Make sure you are prepared for all reasonable
replies to the first few moves of the game!
PREPARE DEEPLY
In the previous game I was unprepared for my opponent 's

fifth move . In the next game the situation is quite different.
We rattle off 1 8 moves of known theory. In the previous game ,
the result was determined by that move . In this one , I thought
I knew what I was doing . In reality, I was blindly following a
line I had learned without really exploring the fi nal position .
That would be a forgivable sin if the published evaluation
were an advantage for one side or equal ity, but the authorities
had declared the position unclear. That imposes a responsibi l ity
on the player.
52
If the theoreticians opt out, you need to analyze it yourself

or use a computer program, preferably both ! Back in 1 990 ,
computers probably could not handle the complexities of the
position . To be fair, this was a casual game with no preparation ,
but this was my main defense to the Italian Game at the time
and I had spent many hours analyzing the 5 . . . b5 lines , to which
I had contributed an important novelty a decade back.
The lesson to be drawn from this game is that when you
study an opening and find a position that is considered unclear,
you have to dig deeper and try to make sure that it isn 't actually
lost ! An evaluation of "unclear" indicates that you have work
to do !
l .e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Bc4 Nf6; 4.Ng5 d5; 5.exd5 b5;
6.Bfl Nd4; 7 .c3 Nxd5 ; 8.Ne4 Qh4; 9.Ng3 Bg4; 10.f3 e4;
l l .cxd4 Bd6; 12.Bxb5+ Kd8.
Position after 1 2 . . Kd8
Edwards
vs .
Schiller, Played Online, 1990
Both players were familiar with the latest theory of this

fascinating line . At the time , both castling and developing the
queen were being investigated . Now 1 3 .0-0 is the normal
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ERIC SCHILLER
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move , leading to positions considered favorable for White after

Black captures on f3 and White then moves the queen to b3 .
In the game , the alternative line with an immediate queen
deployment was seen .
13.Qb3 Bxg3+; 14.Kdl Be6; 15.Bc6 exf3; 16.Bxd5 fxg2;
17.Qxg3 Qxg3; 18.hxg3 Bxd5.
Position
after 1 8 . Bxd5
.
A known position , evaluated as unclear by Estrin . B lack

has 6 pawns , to White's 4.5 (the doubled d-pawn isn 't
worth much) and the strong protected pawn at g2 ads a bit
more compensation for the knight. After playing this game ,
however, I became convinced the line i s clearly better for
White . Computer programs vary widely, some claiming White
is clearly better, others preferring Black !
19.Rgl ReS; 20.Nc3 Bf3+; 2l .Kc2 g5! ? The idea is to
play . . . h5-h4 and get my pawns connected . 2 1 . . . Rb8 would
have been wiser, but I doubt Black has enough for the piece
after 22 .d3 Rb6; 23 .Bf4 . 22.d3 f6; 23.Ne4! All this might have
been easy to fi nd in preparation , and surely I would have known
better than to play the simplifying 23 . . . Bxe4?; 24.dxe4 Rxe4;
25.Rxg2 Rxd4; 26.Bd2. I lost eventually. My dear bishop is
54
LESSONS IN B A S I C TACTICS
gone , and the greatest hope , the pawn at g2 , has been swept
from the board .
What would my approach have been with proper study? I
would surely have realized that after 23 .Ne4 ! , the only serious
try is 23 . . . Rxe4; 24 .dxe4 B xe4 , keeping the pawn at g 2 . At the
moment , there are only two pawns for the rook , but White will
probably return the rook for the bishop and pawn , emerging
with an extra bishop i n the endgame . So, the entire variation
with 2 1 . . . g5 would have been rejected , and some alternative
would have been ready. If no good option exi sts , then B lack
would have to deviate earlier, or perhaps give up the entire
line !
G A M E L E S SON FOURT E E N
I f you a r e going to play popular lines which have
been analyzed deeply, m ake s ure you evaluate
the final p ositions with special care if they are
considered "unclear."
DON'T GET SEDUCED BY A PROMISING

LINE!
Given all the available books and databases , it i s a bit

harder to get caught by a new move early in the game . That i s ,
you won 't get surprised if y o u spend substantial chunks o f your
life studying chess openings ! For most players , these resources
don 't come into play. Openi ngs are more easily learned from
books with lots of prose than from encyclopaedic collections
of thousands of games . So the particular danger exposed i n the
next game remains relevant to most chessplayers .
When you learn an opening there are often some clever
lines that you 'd love to see at the board . Authors usually go to
great lengths to display these tricks , because it is part of giv ing
the reader confidence i n the opening . Sometimes , however,
they lie buried in a l ittle footnote . The observant reader spots
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ERIC SCHILLER
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the jewel, polishes it a bit by checking the conclusions of the

author, and then sallies forth to slay some unwitting opponent
with the discovery.
Sometimes it goes down as planned , but in other cases
the attempted hijacking of a point is foiled because the path
leading up to the brill iant move wasn 't scouted properly. From a
psychological standpoint, this is easy to understand . You really
want the line to work , and look forward to the congratulations
you will receive when the trap is sprung .
The prepared line doesn 't have to lead to a forced win, but
will deliver a superior position while humiliating the ignorant
opponent . You don 't really want to find a flaw in the moves
leading up to the surprise , do you?
Well , i n chess you have to be objective . I learned a painfu l
lesson a t the hand o f a strong veteran International Master
who had contributed many new moves to opening theory over
the years . I assumed he would just follow a famous game in a
variation which almost all the books indicated was great for
Black. My surprise was hidden in a little footnote i n a detailed
monograph . Before I had a chance to play it, my opponent
sprung a surprise of his own .
To avoid this disaster, make sure that your opening
preparation considers all reasonable options for the opponent.
Do not concentrate solely on the most interesting or complicated
line .
Let's see what happens in this next game .
l d4 Nf6; 2.Nc3 d5; 3 Bg5 Nbd7; 4.f3 c6; S e4 dxe4;
6.fxe4 e5 ; 7 Nf3
.
56
Position after 7 Nf3
Schiller vs. Ligterink, Reykjavik Grand Open

Iceland 1986
I had prepared this move as an alternative to the capture at
e5 , seen in a well known Mikhail Tal game . I had known Tal
since the 1 980 Olympiad and he was taking a glance at each
of my games during the Icelandic tournament , and offered
me advice after each game . I ' ll always be grateful for his
friendship , especially since he was , with Fischer, my idol when
I was learning the game .
Take a look at the game AI burt vs. Tal , from the 1 972 Soviet
Championship , which is often cited as a reason White 's whole
opening strategy is ineffective . 7 .dxe5 Qa5 ; 8 .exf6 Qxg5 ;
9 .fxg7 Bxg7 ; 1 0 .Qd2 Qxd2+; l l .Kxd2 Nc5 ; 1 2 .Bd3 Be6;
l 3 .Nf3 0-D-D; 1 4 .Ke2 b5 ; 1 5 .a3 a5 ; 1 6 .h3 Rhe8; 1 7 .Rhd l f5 ! ;
1 8 .e5 Nd7 ; 1 9 .Re l Bxe5 ; 20.Kf2 Bf6; 2 l .Re3 Nc5 ; 22 .Rae l
Kd7 . B lack's pieces are much more active and the bishop
pair is a tangible asset . Now White self-destructs , tempted by
a sacrificial line , which is too easily declined . 23 .Nxb5 ? f4 ! ;
24 .Re5 (24.R3e2 Nxd3+; 25 .cxd3 cxb5 .) . 24 . . . Nxd3+ ; 25 .cxd3
cxb5 ; 26 .Rxb5 Rb8 ; 27 .Ne5+ Kd6; 28 .Rxa5 B h4+ . White
resigned .
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ERIC SCHILLER
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7 exd4! A big theoretical novelty from Ligterink ! After

the game , Tal asked me why I chose the line , and was I familiar
with his game against Alburt? I told him I was , but had an
interesting idea in mind , but this move stopped me cold .
7 . . . Qa5 was the old move , and here I was ready to employ
an obscure idea. 8 .Bxf6 ! Nxf6; 9 .Nxe5 Nxe4; 1 0 .Qf3 ! as in J .
Brown v s . King , London 1 978 . B ut Ligterink's improvement
at move 7 makes this moot .
Why didn 't I consider the capture at d4? It is an obvious
move . The answer is the lesson to be learned from thi s game .
I had come across the Brown-King reference in a note in a
book on the Veresov by Jimmy Adams . I knew that few people
would be aware of it as B lack (the game is sti l l not in any
databases , a warning to those who don 't bother to consult good
old fashioned books ! ) and was seduced by the chance to get a
great game quickly.
This is poor thinking , especially since the players in
the game were not professional s . Why shouldn 't a strong
experienced International Master like Ligterink play an inferior
move and overlook a trap?
8.Nxd4. 8 .Qxd4 was tried in the only other professional
game I know of. Is it any accident my friend Joel Benjamin ,
who was also in the Reykjavik tournament (and went on to
become a multiple U .S . champion) , is playing B lack? Well ,
my prepared l ine failed me , but delivered a point for him, 1 4
years later! 8 . . . Qb6; 9 .Qd2 Qxb2 ; I O .Rb l Qa3 ; l l .e5 Nd5 ;
1 2 .Nxd5 cxd5 ; 1 3 .Bb5 B c5 ; 1 4 .Qxd5 0-0 ; 1 5 .Bxd7 B xd7 ;
1 6 .Qxd7 Qxa2; 1 7 .Qd l h6; 1 8 .Bh4 a5 ; 1 9 .Ra l Qb2 ; 20 .Rb l
Qa2; 2 l .Ke2 g5 ; 22 .Bf2 Rad8 , Zhang Pengxiang vs. Benjami n ,
2000 .
8 Bb4.
. .
..
58
Position after 8 . . Bb4
B lack has at least equality, and I was psychologically

devastated . I needed to find some active plan .
9.Nf5 ! ? ; 10.Bd3 NeS ; ll .Bxf6 Qxf6; 12.. I wasn 't
fooled by the apparent attack . I know that to win on the kingside
I need minor pieces. Watch them get swept off the board ! 12
BxfS ! ; 13.Rxf5 Qe7 ; 14.Qe2 Bxc3! 1 4 . .Rad8 is also strong ,
but this move really clarifies the situation and leaves me with a
terrible bishop and weak c-pawn .
15.bxc3 QcS+; 16.Kh 1 Qxc3; 17 .Rb1 bS; 18.Rbfl Rad8;
19.Qf2 Rd7.
..
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Position after 19 . . Rd7
20.h3?! Up to now I have been playing the best moves,

more or less . This move is very weak , though it doesn 't appear
to have any serious consequences in the near term .
20 .Rh5 Nxd3 ; 2 l .Qf5 ! ? might have been tried , but it
isn't sound . 2 l . . .Nf2+ ! ! ; 22 .Kg l (22 .Qxf2 Rd2 ; 22 .Rxf2 g6;
23 .Qxd7 Qe l +; 24.Rfl Qxfl #) . 22 . . .g6 ! ; 23 .Qxd7 Nxe4 ! ! ;
24 .Qd3 ! But not 24 .Rh3 Qxd3 ; 25 .cxd3 gxh5 ; 26 .dxe4 . (24.
Rh3 Qc5+ ! ; 25 .Kh l Nf2+; 26 .Rxf2 Qxf2 and Black will win) .
24 . . . White is still busted and B lack would have had to find
some good moves . I never saw the idea at the board . Tal asked
me about the move afterwards .
20 .h4 Nxd3; 2 l .cxd3 Qxd3 , with a tremendous game for
Blac k .
20 .Rg5 ! ? h 6 ; 2 l .Rg3 Nxd3 ; 22 .cxd3 Rxd3 and Black has
a great game .
20 Nxd3; 21 .cxd3 Qxd3; 22.e5 . The last chance . If I get
the pawn to e6 I may have a small chance to survive .
22 Qc4. Nothing doi ng . 23.Rg5 g6; 24.Kh2 Re8; 25.h4?
h6! The game is lost. I set up a kamikaze attack on g6 , but it
is easily refuted . 26.Qf5 Qxh4+; 27.Kgl Qd4+. Black would
capture the rook at g5 on the next move , so I gave up .
..
..
60
I was under a lot of pressure in preparation because if I

won , a qual ifying result for the title of International Master
was almost certain . In addition , as the lowest ranked player
in the 74-man field (I was going to be an arbiter, but rather
than have an odd number of players , the organizers invited me
to play) I was en route to a 6-5 result , ahead of a number of
Grandmasters . This loss was avenged in the next round to earn
my plus score and a respectable FIDE rating of 2370 . Still , had
I not been seduced by the possibil ity of a quick win , I might
have done even better.
The game provides a second Jesson , which is that when
things go wrong , even boring equality is better than self
destruction ! If I had more faith i n my endgame play at the
time (which would have been totally unjustified) , I might have
realized that you can win the game later, from an even position .
Indeed , you have to do that much of the time as B lack , first
equalizing , and then playing for the advantage .
GAME LESSON FI FTEEN

If you find a good new move when preparing an
opening, b acktrack to consider options for your
opponent, who may well have discovered ''your"
new move first!
GARBAGE STINKS!
Junk openings can be a Jot of fun , and can be a part of a

repertoire for blitz games , but they have no business in serious
tournaments ! The element of surprise is vastly overrated . You
should be happy when your opponent plays an inferior move ,
even if it i s new to you !
Now I ' m not suggesting that all "unorthodox" openings
are bad . Far from it! I wrote a very big book on the subject and
found many interesting ideas . They must be used appropriately,
however. More importantly, they must be judged objectively,
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ERIC SCHILLER
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without adding bonus points for surprise value unless there are
complicated tactics involved .
The next game comes from a round-robin event in which
I had plenty of time to prepare . My opponent, the late FM
Eugene Martinovsky, was a friend . We had met frequently at
the board , with the advantage heavily in his favor. He was a
classical player, who would react predictably to the unusual ,
but still classical , Tayler Opening .
The move 3 .Be2 is unambitious, but Michael B asman , the
English International Master, who advocates many unusual
openings , had been promoting a new gambit after 3 . . . Nf6 .
A gambit approach seemed appropriate , and I later had more
success with a different one . Since there was so little material
on the opening , I just read what B asman had to say and didn 't
look too closely. Big mistake . The stench of White's position
after ten moves could be detected anywhere in the room .
l .e4 eS; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Be2 Nf6; 4 .d4!? exd4; S.eS Ng4;
6.0-0 NgxeS; 7 .NxeS NxeS; 8.Qxd4.
Position after 8.Qxd4
Schiller vs . Martinovsky, Illinois Tournament

of Champions, 1 986
62
Following Basman 's opening recommendation , I felt

confident I could get enough for the pawn after the retreat of
the knight . But B lack came up with a very i nteresting defense .
8 Qf6! Nasty threat of . . . Nf3+ , winning the quee n . 9.Qe4
Be7. Wh ite 's hope for an attack on the e-file against the enemy
king is dashed . The king can escape to the kingside at any time .
In fact , he just sits there and taunts me for the next ten moves !
10.Nc3 c6; l l .f4 Ng6; 12.f5 d5! ; 13.Qa4 Bc5+! ; 14.Kh l
Ne7. Very effective reorganization by the veteran master. 15.g4
b5; 16.Qf4 h5! ; 17.g5 Qxf5; 18.Qg3. Two pawns down here ,
no trading queens ! 18 ...Qe6. 1 8 . . . h4 was also good . 19.Bd3
0-0 ; 20.Bd2 Qg4? ! ; 21 .Qe5 Qe6; 22.Qxe6?. 22 .Qg3 had to
be played . I have no idea why I didn 't keep the queens on , it
could hardly be worse .
22 ...Bxe6; 23.Ne2 a6; 24.Ng3 g6. Black had little difficu lty
winning, though it took him a whi le .
.
Avoid unsound openings i n serious games !
DON'T IMPROVISE YOUR WAY INTO

OPENING TRAPS!
Creativity and improvisation are i mportant chess skill s ,

but when playing a game , they are not generally appl icable
in the open ing . During preparation at home , you can let your
inspiration flow. At the board , stick to prepared move orders .
The tempting new move you see at the board may well walk
you straight into a trap !
l .e4 e5 ; 2.Nf3 d6; 3.Bc4 Be7; 4.d4 Nd7??. This is a well
known opening trap . In my desire to set up the Lion Formation ,
I casually switched the move order around . The price was very,
very high .
5.dxe5 ! Nxe5 ; 6.Nxe5 dxe5; 7 .Qh5 g6; 8.Qxe5.
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Well , I ' m down a paw n . My rook is attacked . My bishop is

pinned . White has a huge advantage . What can I do? Resign?
No, it is too early.
8 Nf6; 9 .Bh6! Rg8; 10.Nc3 .
..
Position after JO.Nc3
Baudo Mercere
vs.
Schiller, New York Open , 1998
Lesson one is over. Don 't fall for opening traps ! Now it
is time for lesson two: Don 't give up ! Sure , Black's position
would make a mother cry. The gods are laughing . At the
prestigious New York Open my colleagues are trying not to
laugh out loud . People stroll by the board and just shake their
heads . It is very tempting to just concede the game and get out
of the room.
10 ...Ng4!? I realized this wouldn 't work , but my opponent,
an experienced and literate Candidate Master who exploited
my move order, was now under that typical pressure you feel
when you have a game you know you should win .
ll .Qf4 Nxh6; 12.Qxh6? ! 1 2 .Rd l ! would have completely
refuted my plan . However, White saw no reason to refrain
from capturing at h6 and h7 , with mate threat at f7 .
1 2 ...Bg5 ! ; 13.Qxh7 Qd2+! ; 14.Kfl Rf8.
64
Position after 14 . . Rj8
It must be admitted that Black has nothing for the pawns ,

really. Yet White must play accurately. It is logical to batten
down the hatches and protect the pawns on the second rank .
After all , if B lack eats both the c-pawn and b-pawn then the
game could get interesting .
However, passivity is rarely a good idea, Crawling into a
shell concedes the initiative and gives the opponent time to act .
White should have chosen a pawn sacrifice instead o f defense .
1 5 .Rd l ! Qxc2; 1 6 .Qg7 Qxb2 ; 1 7 .Qe5+ Be7 ; l 8 .Qxc7 ! B lack
cannot take the knight because White will play Bxf7+ with
discovered check , winning the queen .
15.Bb3?! Be6 ! ?
I knew I ' d need a lot of luck to win this game , but saw
some tactical possibil ities if only I could open the f-file . So I
invited my opponent to do so , giving up a pawn and placing
my king in mortal danger. I realized that I was doomed if my
opponent finally got the rook to d l , but having spumed all
previous opportunities, I suspected that White would pass on
the move one more time . B luffing doesn't work as well in chess
as in poker, but when you hold a hand as bad as thi s , it is bluff
or fold . Nothing to be gained by folding , and no way to raise
the stakes. My opponent falls for it. He should have played
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ERIC SCHILLER
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1 6 .Rd l Qf4; 1 7 .Bxe6 where 1 7 . . . Rd8 ! ? ( 1 7 . . .fxe6; 1 8 .Qd7#) ;

1 8 .Nd5 would have encouraged my immediate resignation .
16.Bxe6? 1 6 .fxe6; 17.Qxg6+ Ke7 ; 18.Nd l . White
chooses an obvious defense of f2 over the weakening move
1 8 .f3 , but it was the wrong choice .
.
Position after 18Ndl
18 ...Rxf2+! ! My tum now ! I was still furious with myself

for the opening play, but after thi s move I was all business
again . I knew that I was close to equalizing , rebounding from a
totally lost position . Those who strolled past my board thinking
I was a complete idiot would see a miraculous escape ! Perhaps
even enough to redeem my earl ier stupidity.
19.Nxf2 Rf8; 20.Qg7+ Rti .
66
Position
after 20 . . Rj7
White has to give up the queen . On the other hand , with

two rooks and two pawns for the quee n , White is still way
ahead in material . For the moment ! My queen has been busy
and she is hungry. Three queenside pawns make a tasty snack !
21 .Qxti+ Kxti; 22.g3 Qxc2; 23.Kg2 Qxb2; 24.Rab l
Qxa2.
Position
after 24 . . .Qxa2
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White can take the b-pawn , or go after the a-pawn . If you

recall the first few tactical examples, you ' l l already suspect
that a rook at a7 and a knight at e3 could run into trouble .
Taking the b-pawn was correct. 25.Ra l ? Qc2; 26.Rxa7? ?
Be3 . M y opponent resigned , since I w i n the rook or the knight .
I had been to the brink of the abyss , and with perseverance and
a bit of luck, come away with a full point , to the astonishment
of anyone who had passed by the board during the opening .
Does this mean you can get away whenever you fall for a
trap? Hardly. Amazingly, I stumbled into a related trap a year
later, and lasted all of 1 5 moves before toppling my king , and
half of those were just available because my opponent made
some inferior moves.
Stick to the move orders you know, because behind

every transposition there may lie a trap!
DON'T BREAK TOO SOON!
One of the keys to playing effectively as B lack is knowing

the "breaks." These are pawn moves that challenge enemy
pawns in the center. In Open Games ( l .e4 e5 ) , both . . . d5 and
. . . f5 are available breaks . In the Sicilian , . . . d5 is the right way
to confront the e-pawn . In a Closed Game ( l .d4 d5 ) , both . . .
c5 and . . . e5 are both available . A central break ( . . . d5 or . . . e5 )
is often the moves that levels the game and earns Black the
cherished equal ity.
Knowing your breaks is part of standard opening strategy.
Ti ming the breaks , that 's another matter entirely. Usually a
break has some small e lement of risk , as it opens up the position .
Whenever a break is possible it should be considered , but you
have to look at the downside , too . A typical break may work
most of the time , but when it fai l s , it often fails spectacularly !
That 's what happens in the next game . I rely on general
considerations without doing the hard work of calculating
concrete variations beyond a couple of move s .
68
l .e4 c5; 2.Nf3 e6; 3.d4 cxd4; 4.Nxd4 a6; 5.c4 Nf6;
6.Nc3 Bb4; 7 .f3 d5? Wel l , I certainly knew that in the Sicilian
you should play . . . d5 as soon as it works , and that f3 often
encourages it. But I underesti mated the check at a4 . 8.Qa4+
Nc6.
Forced , as the bishop is attacked . It was easy enough to
calculate through move 1 2 , but I stopped there , satisfied that
the symmetrical pawn structure was solid enough .
9.Nxc6 Bxc3+; 10.bxc3 bxc6; ll .cxd5 exd5; 12.exd5
Qxd5. End of forced variation . 13.Ba3!
Position after 1 3 . Ba3!
Reynolds vs . Schiller, University of Chicago, 1 9 75

What a mess ! Black cannot castle unless . . . c5 can be played
to block the bishop . The pin on the c-pawn is excruciating , but
White threatens Bc4 and then after the king moves I am in
trouble on the e-file . White can take the d-file at will with Rd l .
So White owns all the open lines , and I ' ve got . . . nothing . 13 ...
Bd7.
The most important aspect of this move is that it prepares a
discovered attack against the enemy queen . Although it is of no
particular use at present, it can be a big asset later. In this game ,
it allows me to escape certain death ! I didn 't like the looks of
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ERIC SCHILLER
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1 3 . . . Qe5+ ; l 4 .Kf2 Qxc 3 ; l 5 .Rd l ! White can use the d-file for
both attack and defense , while saving the e-file for the other
rook . 1 5 . . . Bf5 gets queens off. 1 6 .Bc4 ! Qc2+; 1 7 .Qxc2 Bxc2;
1 8 .Rhe I + Black has to give two pieces for the rook . 1 8 . . . Ne4+;
1 9 .Rxe4+ Bxe4; 20 .fxe4 . White wins easily, with two potent
bishops and control of the d-file .
14.Bc4 Qe5+; 15.Kf2. Now Black seems to be in big
trouble on the e-file , but a surprising tactic secures a draw. 15 ..
Ng4+ ! ; 16.fxg4 Qf4+.
.
I offered a draw and my opponent accepted . Up to you to

decide if he was wise . . . White could try to run to the queens ide ,
but shelter is hard to find . If Black has time for . . . c5 and
kingside castling, White 's king is in trouble . If 1 7 .Kg l Qe3+;
1 8 .Kfl Qf4+ , a draw by repetition is coming . On the other
hand 1 7 .Ke l Qe4+; 1 8 .Kd2 Qxg2+; l 9 .Be2 c5 ! ; 20 .Qa5 Bb5 is
messy. Not only is the bishop at e2 threatened , but also Black
has time to castle . Wh ite was wise to settle for the draw !
Don't play the
. . .
d5 break until you casde, unless
you are absolutely sure it is safe .
70
:t STE P FOUR
LESSONS IN THE MIDDLE GAME
While the opening and the endgame can be played with the
help of positions studied in advance , the middlegame i s , by
definition , the area of the game where you need strategic
thi nking and pure calculation . General principles have to be
used in place of prepared moves . The middlegame requires
working out a plan and executing it precisely, which means
getting the right moves in the right order. That's the fi rst lesson
in thi s chapter.
The demand for precision does not end after one move . In
the next pair of lessons you will see how an excellent strategy
can be ruined when a little slip takes place just when the goal
is in sight. The following group of lessons is a variation on the
same theme , but we deal with a very specific psychological
error, when a player tries to be a bit too clever. Then we ' II have
a reminder about materialism and how it can lead you astray in
a promising position .
When you have a disadvantage , there are techniques you
can use to distract your opponent .
No , spilling coffee on the board isn 't an option especially
with the new regulations limiting caffeine at the board !
You can only use chess moves to distract your opponent,
everything else is bad form , and usually against the rules .
Fortunately, you can make moves that have a psychological
effect of confusing your opponent , a technique which
strong players use frequently, especially against lower rated
opposition . Such "confusionary riffs ," as they are called , are
the topic of a pair of lessons.
71
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Sticking to a defensive theme , we move on to a situation

where survival is made more difficult when pressure is
maintained for a long time . When you have forces in flexible
positions , it is often possible to chase enemy units constantly,
so that the opponent , even with more pieces or an attacking
formation , has no time to take the initiative . During this
campaign , the defending side is under great stress and i s very
likely to make a mistake .
The last lessons in thi s chapter cover a variety of situations
that lend themselves to incorrect play for psychological
reason s . Most sacrifices take place on squares occupied by an
enemy piece . It often comes as a surprise when the opponent
sacrifices a piece by moving it to an empty square right next to
an enemy piece that can capture it.
One critical game lesson makes the very important point
that while you should scrutinize the enemy positions for
weaknesses that you can exploit, it i s equally important to
look in the mirror and see if your own vulnerabil ities can be
exploited . We close the chapter with a case of "nervous moves ,"
where the mere possibility of earning a draw by repeating the
position , when you know your opponent isn 't interested in
splitting the point , proves fatal .
BAD TIMING
It is i mportant not only to fi nd the right moves , but also to

play them in the correct order. Often when two different move
orders can reach the same position , a certain laziness sets in.
It doesn 't seem to matter which order is chosen , and i n many
cases that is indeed the case . But sometimes the move order is
critical , as I found out in the following game .
72
LESSONS IN THE M I DDLE G A M E
Position
after 22 .Bd5
Pruess vs . Schiller, Mechanic 's Masters

San Francisco 1 998
22 ...Rac8? ? 22 . . .Nc3 ! ; 23 .Rd2 Rac8 was the correct move
order, and B lack would stil l be in the game . 23.Ne7 Be6. 23 . . .
Kxe7 ; 24 .Bxe4 Be6 ! I missed this resource , thought I ' d have
to exchange bishops w ith a bad endgame . After 25 .Bd5 Rhd8 !
Black has nothing to worry about .
24.Nxc8 Bxd5; 25.Rxd5 Nc3; 26.Rc5 Rd8; 27.Rfl+
Ke6; 28 .Nxa7 Nxa2+; 29.Kb2 and White won .
GAI\IE LESSON N I N ETEEN

If you think that it makes no difference which of
two move orders are used, think again!
L A CKING THE FINISHING TOUCH - A
Unfortunately, I can provide a number of examples of

games where I overlooked a winning plan in the final position .
I ' ve confi ned myself to two of the most painfu l . In each I take
a draw by repetition when I could have simply finished off my
73
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
opponent. Once the drawing line entered my mind , I mentally

wrapped the game up with a half-point and simply didn 't
consider the possibility that I could actually win the game .
In the first example , this was rather typical of the games
in the Tranmer Memorial , which was the first tournament with
International Master qualifying norms to feature half men and
half women in the ten player field. It was a very sociable event ,
as were all of the B righton Internationals .
This was a fun event, even if many o f the players seemed
to suffer from lack of sleep . Perhaps it is unsurprising that
several positions from that event appear in this collection .
l .e4 e6; 2.d4 d5; 3.Nc3 Bb4; 4.Bd2 dxe4; 5.Qg4 Nf6;
6.Qxg7 Rg8; 7 .Qh6 Qxd4; 8.0--0-0 Bf8 . This is the most
recommended defense for B lack . 9.Qh4 Rg4; IO.Qh3 Qxf2;
ll .Be3 Qf5; 12.Be2 Rg6; 13.g4 Qe5 ; 14.Bd4 Qg5+. Black is
well advised to accept the well-known draw with l4 ... Qf4+;
l 5 .Be3 Qe5 ; 1 6 .Bd4 . 15.Be3 Qa5 ; 16.g5 Rxg5 ; 17 .Qh4 Rg6;
18.Nh3 Bd6 ! ?
Position after 1 8 Bd6!?
..
Schiller vs . N. Thomas, Eileen Tranmer Memorial

Brighton , 1985
74
A theoretical novelty. l 8 . . . Be7 ; 1 9 .Nf4 and 1 8 . . . Nbd7 ;

1 9 .Nf4 are known to give White a strong attack. 19.Rhfl BeS;
20.Nf4. Not 20 .Bh5 , which allows the bri l l iant reply 20 . . .
Bg3 ! ! 2 0 ...Bxc3 ! Not 2 0 . . . Nbd7 , which allows White to win
2 1 .Nxg6 . 21 .bxc3 .
If 2 l .Nxg6 B xb2+; 22 .Kxb2 Qb4+ . White may retain a
smal l edge . 2 1 . .. Nd5! Black seals the d5 . Or does he?
Position after 21 . . Nd5
22.Rxd5 ! exdS; 23 .Nxg6 Qa3+ ! ; 24.Kd2 hxg6. So far so

good , and I ' m on my way to a brilliant win. But I stumble
and fal l . 25.Qh8+?? I missed the terminai 25 .Rxf7 ! ! , winning.
25 ... Qf8 ; 26 .Qe5+ Qe7 ; 27 .Qh8+ Qf8 ; 28 .Qe5+ . I nstead , we
agreed a draw.
GA:\IE LESSON TWENTY

Even if you have used up most of your energy
developing an attack, work as hard at the end as
you did at the beginning!
75
ERIC SCHILLER
C ARDOZA PUBLISHING
LA CKING THE FINISHING TOUCH
The second game featured a more common psychological

error. I had been fighting from a terrible position all game .
For some reason , this particular opponent often brings out the
blunderer in me . In this case , an unsound sacrifice had rattled
me and I lost my concentration . In flailing about , trying to
survive , a draw by repetition was high on my list of goals . I
took it , rather than the simple win .
Position after 16 . . .dxe6
Blohm vs . Schiller, Frisco Masters, San Francisco, 2000

17 .Rxf7 ! ? ; 1 7 .Rad I Rxc3 ! ; 1 8 .bxc3 Rg8 was what
expected . 17 ...Kxf7; 18.Qh5+ Ke7; 19.Bg5+ Kd7; 20.Bxd8.
I had already worked out my response , leading to a draw. 20 . . .
Bc5+; 21 .Kh l .
76
Position after 2 l .Kh l
I was running scared , and was happy to escape with a draw

by repetition . I didn 't even look at the obvious winning l i ne .
2 1 . .. Nf2+? 2 I . . .Bxg2+ ! ! ; 22 .Kxg2 Nf4+ wins easily. 22.Kgl
Nd3+; 23.Kh l . Draw agreed .
Even when you are just trying to escape, be on the

lookout for chances to win !
TOO CL EVER BY HA LF - A
The next three examples show this opposite side of the

coi n . Instead of missing winning continuations and settling for
a draw, I try to ach ieve much more than can be justified by the
position . Th is kind of error is quite common among scholastic
players . My students often tell me they played a move hoping
for a specific line , and when the opponent sees what's up, the
plan fails.
77
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 16.0-0
Bokan
vs .
Schiller, CNE Open, Toronto, 1 971
16 . . . Bd4? The error here is in trying to set up some cheap

tactics , hoping White w i l l run into a fork . If 1 7 .Nxd4 Nxd4;
1 8 .Qd3 Nxe2+; 1 9 .Qxe2 , I still can 't play 1 9 . . . Rxc2 because
of 20 .Bh6+ ! Instead , I wind up losing to a discovered attack .
Better was 1 6 . . . Rg8 , though Black's position is in any case
inferior. 17 .Radl .
This sets u p potential discovered attacks against my
wayward bishop . 17 . . . Rg8?? The bi shop had to retreat; it is
vu lnerable at d4 . 18.Nxd4 Nxd4; 19.Bh6+ Ke8; 20.Rxd4.
B lack is just a piece down . 20 Qf6; 2 1 .Be3 e5; 22 .Rxd5
Bc6; 23.Bb5 Qf3; 24.Bxc6+ bxc6; 25 .Rxe5+. I resigned .
. .
G AME LESSON TWENTY-TWO

Avoid cheap tactics! Just because your opponent
has already made a mistake doesn't mean that
another one is likely.
78
LESSONS IN THE MIDDLE G AME
TOO CLEVER BY HAL F - B
Position after 25 . . Nf6
Schiller vs . Coull, Eileen Tranmer Memorial,

Brighton , 1985
I have a decisive material advantage , as long as I hang on
to my bishop . I couldn 't fi nd a way to do that , even though it
was fairly simple . 26.Qe2? A tactical miscalculation . ! thought
this was very clever, threatening to check at c4 and grab her
c-pawn . My piece on the 7th rank would attack the bishop at
e7 . This much I saw, but I missed a tactical nuance in this line ,
and one in the alternatives .
26.Be6+ Kg7 ; 27 .Qf5 ! was what I missed . I failed to take
i nto account the rook on g l , which preserves the pin on the
g-pawn . 27 . . .Rxb2; 28 .Qd3 c5 ! ? ; 29 .dxc5 Qa5+; 30 .Kfl B xc5 ;
3 l .Rg5 ! and White wins . I considered only 27 .Qh3 Rxb2 ;
28 .Nd3 Rb6; 29.Ba2?
I couldn 't see any deeper than thi s . (29 .f5 Bxa3 ; 30 .fxg6
hxg6; 3 l .Ra l Qe7 was just too complicated .) 29 . . . Bxa3 ; 30 .Rc3
Qe7 is stil l very messy. 26 Qxc8 ; 27 .Qc4+ Kf8; 28.Rc2.
28 .Qxc7 Qxc7; 29 .Rxc7 Rxb2 is clearly better for B lack .
..
79
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 28Rc2
The game has become unpleasant. I ' m not sure White i s

objectively worse , but B lack's bishops will b e stronger than
White 's rook .
28 ...Bd6; 29.f3 Rb3; 30.Qe2? This move gets me into
trouble agai n ! 30 .Re2 b5 ; 3 1 .Qc2 was a better defense , though
B lack has the initiative and can advance the b-paw n , which I
dare not capture .
30 ...Nd5 !
Position after 30 . Nd5!
.
80
LESSONS IN THE MIDDLE G A M E
The game has swung completely in B lack's favor. She can

bring either the bishop or pawn to b5 in the near future . I should
have retreated the kn ight to c4 , but didn't want to abandon
the outpost when I was certain the knight was immune from
capture .
31 .Qf2. 3 1 .Nc4 Qe6 or 3 1 .Ng4 h5 would not have been
any better. 3 1 . ..Rxe3+; 32.Kd l . 32 .Kfl loses to Qh3 + .
3 2 ...Qf5; 33.Rg4 Bxe5 ; 34.dxe5 Qd3+; 35.Kc l Rxf3 and
I gave up after a few more moves .
Don't get so wrapped up in one line that you

neglect resources available elsewhere.
TOO CLEVER BY HAL F - C
Position after 1 7 . . Nf5
Schiller
vs .
Frenklakh , Ca/Chess Championship ,

Foster City, 1 996
81
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
The game started out as a gambit. I have some compensation

for the pawns , and should just capture at f5 with the kn ight
followed by Qf4 with a direct attack on the pawn at f5 and the
Black knight at a5 in direct line with my queen .
Instead , I decided to support d4 and open c2 for my queen ,
just to set up tactical tricks against h7 and a4 . 18.c3? After
1 8 .Nxf5 exf5 ; l 9 .Qf4 Black can capture another pawn with
1 9 . . . Nxb2 , but after 20 .Bxf5 Bxf5 ; 2 1 .Qxf5 g6; 22 .Qe5 the
knight finds itself under attack.
G A:\IE LESSON TWENTY- FOUR

I f you have a choice between inflicting s tructural
damage with an exchange or setting up tactical
possibilities, the former is usually the better
choice .
18 . . . h6; 19.Ngf3 Nxd4; 20.cxd4 b5; 2 1 .Bb l . Against a

lesser opponent, White might be able to attack and achieve
some compensation for the pawns , but Jennie was already too
accomplished a player. B lack eventual ly won .
GREED KIL L S
Most players are careful enough to think twice about

grabbing a pawn, especially against a strong player. When
you can capture a pawn and protect one of your own , while
attacking the enemy queen , the offer often seems too good to
refuse .
Vigilance is always required , however, because even if
there is no tactical trap , the pawn may nevertheless turn out
to be poisoned . In the following example , the greedy capture
turned out to be fatal .
82
Position afte r 25 . . fxe5
Schiller
vs .
Johansen, Four Nation Team Tournament,

London, 1 985
This i s a tricky position . I had enjoyed a material advantage

for most of the game , but had to worry about that d-pawn . I
had just exchanged knights at e4 . I can grab the e-pawn while
protecting the rook , so why not? I didn 't want to retreat the
queen and lose the b-pawn , and had tactical qualms about
26 .Qc l . 26.Rxe5?
It wasn't hard to reali ze that 26 .Qxe5+?? Qxe5 ; 27 .Rxe5
d2 would lead to a good game for Black. 28 .f3 d l Q; 29 .Rxd l
Rxd l + ; 30 .Kf2 Kf6; 3 1 .Rc5 Rd2+ . I figured I ' d be in deep
trouble here , as the pawns don 't make up for the bishop .
With 26 .Qc l I had to reckon with 26 . . . d2 ! I ' d have to give
up the exchange and the b-pawn . 27 .Qxc2 dxe l Q; 28 .Rxe l
Qxb5 would have almost certainly led to a draw. The correct
plan was the patient 26 .Qd2 ! Qxb5 ; 27 .Re4 ! The blockaders
are in place and my other rook can enter the game , and then I
can capture the f-pawn . Very good winning chances for White !
26 ...Qd6! A strong pin . 27 .Rfe l . Or, 27 .Qe3 d2; 28 .Qxa7+
Rd7 ; 29 .Qe3 d i Q ; 30 .Rxd l Qxd l +; 3 1 .Qe l Qxe l +; 3 2 .Rxe l
Rb7 and Black wins. 27 ...Re8; 28.a4 d2 .
83
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 28 . .d2 .

.
sl decide to sac the queen , probably the best White can

hope for. 29.Qxd2 ! ? 29 .Re7+ Rxe7 ; 30 .Rxe7+ Qxe7 ; 3 I .Qxd2
Bxa4 is hopeless . 29 ...Qxd2 ; 30.Rxe8 Bxa4; 3 1 .R8e7+ Kh6.
Without the queenside pawns , White has no real chances for
survival .
A weak p awn need not be captured right away!
The rest of the game went 32.h4 BxbS ; 33 .Rle3 aS;

34.Ra7 Bd7; 35 .Re4 a4; 36.Re7 Qdl+; 37.Kh2 Qd4; 38.Ra5
Qxh4+; 39.Kgl Qb4; 40.Ra7 Qb l+; 41 .Kh2 Qb8+. Time
control reached . With no reason to play on , I resigned .
CONFUSIONARY RIFFS - A
When you have a bad position , it i s often useful to play

a confusing move , whether it is objectively good or not . The
most successful "confusionary riffs" come about when you
offer the opponent more than one capture on a single turn .
84
The opponent must often choose the proper capture or

else lose the advantage . In the next game , I had a choice of
captures , and I could have played both , had I done things in
the right order.
Position after 34 . Ne2
.
Schiller vs . Cramling, Gausdal International

Norway, 1 984
White is clearly better, as long as the king remains safe .

The Black d-pawn must fall . B u t it should not b e eaten
immediately ! The clock was a factor here . White had nine
minutes left, Black had just four. Black's last move presents
me with a choice of captures . At first glance , they both seem
reasonable .
After a couple of minutes deciding between Nxe2 and
Qxd6 , I chose greedily, and wrongly,
35.Qxd6? simplistically counting on the fact that after
capturing on c3 with the knight , Black couldn 't follow up with
the rook because then the other rook at f8 would be undefended.
The correct plan was 35 .Nxe2 Qxe2; 36 .Qxd6 with a solid
advantage for White .
85
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
I played hastily, figuring I would need the precious few

remaining minutes . That was an over-reaction , since only five
more moves were needed , and one minute should be enough
if your analysis is reasonably accurate . In any case , I devoted
three minutes ( 1 /3) of my time , but three minutes is just the
average time per move in a professional tournament .
35 ...Rfd8? Cramling used half of her remaining time on
this move , but missed a powerful shot . We both overlooked
35 . . . Nxc3+ ! ; 36 .bxc3 Qe2 ! Although there is no immediate
threat , White is actually lost . White can 't allow a rook to get
to f2 , but there isn 't much to be done about it. 37 .Qe6 Qb5+ ! ;
3 8 .Ka l Rce8 . One rook will get to the seventh rank, and then
it is game over.
36.Qb6! Saving the game . Although my king position is
weak, I have just enough defense .
36 ...Nxc3+; 37 .bxc3 Qf3!
Position after 3 7 . . bxc3!
Just three moves to time control , which was the old ,

generous 40 moves in two and a half hours . With 6 minutes
left I used up half my time , and again chose a bad move ! With
just two additional moves to make , I should have spent almost
all of it, because the position is very complicated :
86
After playing thi s move , my next two moves would almost

certainly have been part of analysis I had already carried out.
38.Qxa5? ! Thi s i s also a greedy move . I had to play. 3 8 .d6
Qxc 3 ; 39 .d7 Rb8 ; 40 .h5 . White could keep playing to win ,
though the chances of a draw would be high .
G A:\IE LESSON T W ENTY-SIX

If two captures are the only reasonable moves,
consider it a critical position and devote as much
time as you need.
38 ...b6; 39.Qb4 Rxd5.

With 39 . . . Rxc3 , B lack threatens . . . Rb3+, but White was
ready with a strong counter. 40 .Rhfl ! Rb3+ . Forced , if the
queen moves , there is trouble at f8. 4 l .Ka2 Rxb4; 42 .Rxf3
Rxh4; 43 .d6 ! A difficult game for B lack , though not clearly
winning for White .
40.Rdfl Qd3+. Time control reached , with each player in
their last minute .
41 .Kal Rdc5; 42.Rdl . Draw agreed .
CONFUSIONARY RIFFS
In the next game , confusionary riffs explode all over the

board , in many cases with each player having to consider
multiple captures on consecutive moves . My opponent had
rather recklessly sacrificed a piece at g4 and I had defended
well obtaining a substantial advantage . On the last turn he
advanced the d-pawn , creating a massive confusionary riff
with a huge number of candidate moves.
In addition to possible captures at d4 , I had to consider
other moves such as retreating my knight to h2 to hit the queen ,
as well as an exchange sac at c6, which I could materially
afford since I am up a piece for two pawns.
87
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUB LISHING
Position after 22 . . .d4! ?
Schiller vs . Ivanov, Koltanowski Memorial

San Francisco, 2000
Offering up the pawn four different way s . I decide to take

it with the queen , after getting rid of the pesky knight with
an exchange sacrifice . 23.Rxc6?! This was tempting , because
B lack's queenside pawns are so weak . But it is not correct .
23 .exd4 Ne7 (or 23 . . . Bxg3 ; 24 .fxg3 ) 24 .Rh l Nd5 ! ;
23 .Nxd4 Bxg3; 24 .fxg3 Ne5 ; 25 .Qb3 Qe4+; 26 .Kg l Qg4
seemed a bit risky.
23 .Bxd4 ! was best , in hindsight . I just didn 't want the pin
on the bishop , and my plan was to set up a battery w ith the
queen ahead of the bishop , aiming at g7 . I was a bit concerned
about a possible . . . Ne7-f5 plan . I also thought Black might get
in . . . Nxd4 and I ' d have to recapture with the pawn , after which
. . . Bxg3 forces fxg3 , and . . .Re2+ would be available . I should
have worked concretely on the line, which computer programs
found easily.
23 ...Rxe3? Turnabout is fair play ! My opponent also gets
derailed thanks to the confusion of multiple captures. It is
amusing that had he chosen the correct capture , I would have
the burden of once again choosing between captures.
88
23 . . . Bxg3 ! was the right plan . 24 .Rxg6? ! This was the

prime candidate for me during the game . I don 't know whether
I would have played it if I actually had to analyze the position
at the board . It would be yet another riff, with Black needing
to choose the proper recapture . 24 . . .fxg6; 25 .Qc4+ Qe6;
26 .Qxe6+ Rxe6; 27 .Nxd4 Rxd4; 28 .Bxd4 would have been
fi ne for me , but 24 . . . Qxg6; 25 .Qxg6 fxg6; 26 .Kxg3 dxe3;
27 .fxe3 Rxe3 seems even .
Instead , I would have been better off capturing w ith the
pawn . 24 .fxg3 ! sets up the next riff. 24 . . . bxc6 would have to be
played , though White is clearly better after 25 .Nxd4 . 24 . . . Rxe3
runs into 25 .Rxg6 ! ! fxg6; 26 .Qc4+ , capturing the pawn at d4
after queens are exchanged at e6. If 25 . . . Qxg6; 26 .Qxg6 fxg6;
27 .Nxd4 B lack has 27 . . . Rd3 ! ; 28 .Ne6 Rd2+; 29 .Kh3 Re8
though with 30 .Bc l ! Rc2; 3 l .Nc5 , White wins another pawn .
24.Qxd4 Qxf3+. The theme continues ! The alternative
capture , or rather series of captures , is 24 . . .Qxd4; 25 .Nxd4
Rxg3+; 26 .fxg3 bxc6; 27 .Nxc6 , but White will win .
25.Kgl Bf8 or 2 5 . . . Qf6; 26 .Rxd6 Rxg3+; 27 .fxg3 Qxd4+;
28 .Rxd4 Rxd4; 29.Bxd4 . 26.Qxd8! Again the correct capture
is necessary ! 26 .Qxe3 Qxe3 ; 27 .fxe3 bxc6; 28 .Bd4 Rd5 . B lack
may be able to get rid of the remaining pawns .
26 ...bxc6.
89
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUB LISHING
Position after 26 . hxc6

.
G A M E LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN
When you have a bad position, look for moves,
which give your opponent several ways to slip up,
especially if the moves involve captures .
After all the compl ications of the past few moves , I was
exhausted and saw a c lean win , so I played it . I wasn 't confused
by the multiple captures here . I have to admit I never even
considered the correct plan .
27.Qd4?! Good enough to win, but missing the shot ! A
much more appropriate tactical conclusion to the game could
have been achieved w ith a surprising sacrifice . 27 .Bxg7 ! !
Kxg7 ; 28 .Qd4+ . Wel l , it could have been worse . I could have
thrown away the win by choosing 27 .fxe3?? Qxg3+; 28 .Kh l
Qh3+ and B lack draws.
2 7 Rd3; 28.Qe4 fS; 29.Qxf3 Rxf3; 30.Rcl Rb3; 31 .Rc2
aS; 32.bxa5 Bxa3 ; 33.Rc3! Black again has mu ltiple captures ,
but neither one w i l l save the game . 33 Rxb2 . 33 . . . Rxc3 ;
34.Bxc3 Bc5 i s refuted by 35 .Ne2 .
.
..
90
34.Rxa3 Kf7; 35.a6 Rb8; 36.Ne2 Ke7; 37 .Nd4 Kd6;

38.a7 Ra8; 39.Ra6 Kc5; 40.Ne6+ Kb5; 41 .Nc7+.
Black resigned .
SURVIVAL IS NOT A TEMPORARY
OCCUPATION!
I ' ve had plenty of experience fighting from bad positions,

as many of the examples i n this book show. In the next game I
had gotten myself into a mess by stubbornly refusing to castle .
Had things turned out differently, this would have been i n the
chapter on opening lessons .
However, m y opponent let me o ff the hook and I swam
and thrashed in muddy waters unti l a clear route to victory
was in hand . Then I threw it all away. I was unable to make
the adjustment between survival mode and simple defense . I
sensed the source of the danger, but felt I could simply sidestep
the problem by getting my king off the dangerous e-file .
After running for my life for a while , I felt a false sense of
security, seeing only a single threat that I believed , falsely, was
easily dealt with .
Position after 1 8 Nh3
Schiller vs . T. Taylor, New York City, 1 979

91
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUB LISHING
After 1 8 moves I still haven't castled , and my king 's

knight has just made its fi rst move . I ' ll get the king to safety
next move , right?
18 ...Nc2+! Nope . I lose the exchange , and my king remains
a target in the center.
19.Rxc2 Rbl+; 20.Ke2 Rxh l ; 2 1 .Nf2 Rgl ; 22.g4 Qb4;
23.Kd3.
Position after 23 .Kd2
Hey, maybe I can hold on after all ! The key squares are all
protected .
23 ...d5! !
Wow, I didn 't expect this clearance sac , which opens
the e-file . After al l , I have two pawns and a knight covering
that square . 24.exd5 Nd7; 25.Nfe4? ! 25 .Re2 was correct ,
anticipating trouble on the e-file.
25...Qb8? 25 ... Ne5+; 26 .Ke3 f6 would have given Black
a tremendous game .
26.Ng5! I knew that the situation was desperate , so I set up
a checkmate , figuring he ' d have to defend .
26 .. .Ne5+; 27 .Ke2 Re8.
92
LESSONS IN THE MIDDLE G A M E
28.Kf2?? I didn 't see B lack's tremendous combination ,

which turns my win i nto a loss. 28 .Nce4 ! would have put one
in the win column . Perhaps I rejected the knight move because
it was simi lar to the move that got me into trouble on move 25 .
28 ...Nxg4+! ! ; 29.fxg4 Qf4+! ! ; 30.Kxgl Re l+; 3 1 .Kg2
Qxg4+; 32.Kf2 Qgl+; 33 .Kf3 Qe3+ . Faced with checkmate
in three moves , I resigned .
GAME LESSON TWENTY- E I GHT
Even if you have weathered the first assault, make
s ure your king maintains plenty of protection at all
times !
YES, YOU CAN SA CRIFICE O N AN EMPTY

SQUARE!
The battle was raging on both fl anks . My fi rst mistake

was to press onwards with the attack , when I should have
considered a defensive plan . Examples of that error can be
found in the basic strategy lessons . The big mistake comes
later in the game , when I failed to consider a sacrifice because
no capture was involved . Sometimes a piece may move to a
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ERIC SCHILLER
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square to set up a simple fork or pin , but i n trickier cases the

goal is to deflect an enemy defensive piece . Most of the time
these can be spotted when they are not buried i n deep analysi s .
In the game , however, the move came a s a shock even a s i t was
played . I hadn 't even considered the possibility !
The way to avoid such an error is to make sure you always
take a look at the squares surrounding your king . Keep track of
weaknesses in the position . If an enemy move stations a piece
where it can hit a vulnerable point , make sure your defenses are
sufficient . This is especially critical in positions with castling
on opposite wings or when the king is stuck in the center.
Position after 1 6 .Be2
Mont-Reynaud vs . Schiller, Falconer International

San Francisco, 1 999
As usual , I got a little carried away and thought only of

attack , when I should have first attended to defense .
16 Qh4? 1 6 . . . Qa5 ! was much stronger. The queen can
help defend the kingside and .. .f5 is coming . White can try
I 7 .f5 but 1 7 . . exf5 ; 1 8 .exf5 Bd6 opens a path to the White king .
1 6 . . . Rhg8+; 1 7 .Kh I Qg6 is a line I should have considered
more carefully. I just assumed that 1 8 .Rg l would be good but
...
94
in fact after 1 8 . . . Qh7 ; 1 9 .d5 Rxg l +; 20 .Kxg l Kb8 . B lack has

a hidden defensive resource to bring the queen to a defensive
position at e8 via . . . Qg8+. For example , 2 l .dxc6 Nxc6; 22 .Nb5
Qg8+; 23 .Kh l Qe8 ; and 24 .Rxc6 fails to 24 . . . Qxc6; 25 .Qxa7+
Kc8 , where White has no effective attack.
1 7 .d5 ! ; Kb8? ! 1 7 ... b6 ! would preserve Black's advantage ,
for example ; l 8 .dxc6 Bc5 ; 1 9 .Qf3 Nxc6; 20 .e5 Nd4 ! ; 2 l .Qa8+
Kd7 ; 22 .Qxa7+ Ke8 and the king is safe at home on e8 . The
pawn at f4 is doomed . 18.dxc6 bxc6. l 8 . . .Nxc6; 1 9 .Nb5 Rd7 !
would have been my choice , had I seen what was coming .
19.Nb5! This is the first sacrifice on an empty square , but
not the last ! 19 . . . cxb5.
1 9 . . .Rd7 ! was the best defense , but I didn 't see this idea
until later. 20 .Rfd l Rhd8 ; 2 l .Rxd7 Rxd7 and the knight must
retreat . The strong knight at b4 is probably enough to make up
for the queenside weaknesses .
20.Rc7! ! Ouch ! If there had been a pawn at c7 , I would

have considered this possibility. The king cannot afford to
leave the a-pawn unguarded , but the pawn is now under attack
from both queen and rook . Nothing to do now, the game is lost .
20 ...Rhg8+. 20 . . . Kxc7; 2 l .Qxa7+ Kd6; 22 .Rd l + and mate
is forced . 21 .Khl Nc6; 22.Rxc6! Rd7! 22 . . . bxa4; 23 .Rc7
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ERIC SCHILLER
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would have been truly embarrassing ! 23.Rfc l Bd6; 24.e5.

24.Qc3 ! would have been crushing . White i s winning in any
case .
G Al\IE LESSON TWENTY- N I N E
An empty square is j us t a s valid a target as one

occupied by an enemy piece!
24 .. .fxe5 ; 25 .Qc3 Qd8; 26.fxe5 Bc7 ; 27 .Qb4! Qg5?

Desperation . The threat of mate at g2 is seriou s , but White
wins by stri king fi rst .
28.Qxb5+ Bb6; 29.Bf3 Rb7 ; 30.Qa6! With deadly threats !
30 ...Qe7 . 30 . . . Bc7 ; 3 I .Rxc7 and mate i n 6 . Also terminal is
30 ... Qd8 ; 3 1 .Rc8+ Qxc8; 32 .Rxc8+ Kxc8; 33 .Qxb7+ .
31 .R6c2 Bd4; 32.Qxb7+ Qxb7; 33.Bxb7 Kxb7 ; 34.Rc7+
Kb8; 35 .Rxf7 Bxb2? ? ; 36.Rb l . I res igned .
POSITIONAL WEAKNESSES UNDIAGNOSED
Position after 1 0Nge2
Giblen vs . Schiller, Under- 1 600 section

NYC Championship, 1 970
96
LESSONS IN THE M IDDLE G A M E
B lack 's artificial opening play has created huge weaknesses

on the kingside . The fianchetto position requires a bishop at g7 ,
at least as long as White has a dark square bishop . While the
long diagonal is closed , there isn 't much danger. Wh ite can
advance the d-pawn to open things up , but at least it will cost
him a pawn. Rated in the 1 500s at the time , I didn 't appreciate
such things , and played what must be , as far as strategy is
concerned , one of the worst possible moves .
GAME LESSON THIRTY

When you have weaknesses, don't open up the
position!
ll ...c5? Thi s not only creates a serious weakness on the

queenside , but more i mportantly opens up the h8-a 1 diagonal .
My kingside dark squares are too vulnerable for such an
approach . If I had j ust placed my knight on d7 first , the plan
would have worked. l i . Nd7 ; 1 2 .0-0 c5 ; 1 3 .dxc5 Nxc5 ;
1 4 .Rd 1 Nxd3 ; 1 5 .Rxd3 Qc7 is completely equal .
12.dxc5 bxc5 ; 13.Bb2 Nbc6; 14.0-0 e5; 15.Rad l Qc7;
16.Ng3 Rd8; 17 .Ne4 Na5 ; 18.f4. White is threatening to open
things up. 18 f5. My weak dark squares are a terminal illness
anyway. 19.Nf6+ Kfi ; 20.Bxe5 Qc6; 21 .Nxh7 Bb7; 22.Ng5+
Kg8; 23.Rf3 Rac8; 24.Rh3. I resigned .
.
..
NERVOUS MOVES
When you are in an unfamiliar position at some stage

of the opening , and a draw is an acceptable result , there is a
temptation to try to get the queens off the board , assuming that
the endgame holds no great risks . In some openings , inc l uding
the Sicilian Defense , the nature of the game changes radically
when the queens depart .
This is not a bad strategy, but when putting it into practice
you have to keep in mind that unless the opponent is in a
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
peaceable mood , the offer will l ikely be decl ined . The question
you must ask yourself before maneuvering your queen into a
position to exchange is how safe she will be .
In the following game , the team match circumstances were
such that my job was to avoid a loss on first board , and let the
rest of the team collect the points . I was a serious underdog
against a highly skilled opponent. My nervousness was
reflected in a bad decision to offer a trade of queens. As it turns
out, the move was an error whether or not B lack accepted ! The
position held great promise , actually, had I fearlessly pursued
my kingside attack.
When playing under pressure , it is often best to shift the
burden to your opponent by playing aggressively, even when
you don 't need to win . After all , if you have a strong attack ,
you are in a much better position to make your opponents draw
offers they can't refuse !
Position after 1 4 .0-0
. .
Schiller vs . Joshi, Pan American Intercollegiate

Championship, Rhode Island, 1 986
98
The game was played under a lot of pressure, as the

University of Chicago team was relying on me to try to hold
off the heavily favored Rhode Island team for the National
Championship. Though my results in the tournament overall
were excellent, I faltered here. My opening knowledge did not
include this rare system with delayed castling.
It was enough to take me out of my opening preparation. So
I decided to try to swap queens, perhaps work against the pawn
at d6, but mostly eliminate the danger of getting checkmated
on the queenside.
15 .Qb6? 15.h5 Rtb8; 16.h6 was a bolder, and more correct
approach. Nerves and lack of confidence after being outplayed
in the opening deterred me. 15 ...Qc8 ! ? 15 ... Qxb6; 16.Bxb6
b4! would have been strong in any case. My whole plan was
misguided. 16.Qd4 Rb8; 17.Bg5 Rd8; 18 .f4 Nc6; 19.Qd3
Be8. The game is swinging in Black's favor, with the ...d5
looming as a nasty threat, and ... b4 to worry about. 20.Rel .
An interesting idea, to get some play on the e-file when
... d5 comes. 20 .. .a5. 20...b4 might have been played. 2 l .Nd5!?
was, rightly or wrongly, my idea. 2 1 ... exd5; 22.exd5 with a
messy position that probably is better for White. 21 .Nd4?
2 l.h5 h6; 22.Bh4 would have kept hopes of a kingside attack
alive. 21 ...Nxd4; 22.Qxd4 b4; 23.Ndl Qc7; 24.Ne3?!
I was in a hurry to get this knight back into the game.
24.Bd3 would have been better, also defending c2 but aiming
at h7. Perhaps something like Qe3-f3-h5 would be available
later. 24 ...h6; 25.Bxf6. There are no miracle sacrifices in
this position. I spent some time searching in vain. 25 ...Bxf6;
26.Qc4 Qb6; 27.Ng4.
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ERIC SCHILLER CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 27.Ng4
27 ...Bc3! I
can't take the bishop without losing my queen.
28.Rd l hS; 29.Nh2 dS? (29

Bc6 should have been played first.); 30.exd5 RxdS; 3l .Rxd5
exdS; 32.Qe2 Qd4; 33.Nf3 Qxf4; 34.Qd l Bf6. The position
I'm really on the run now.
. . .
is hopeless. I played on another ten moves, but could not save

the game.
35 .Bd3 a4; 36.Qcl Qc7; 37 .Qe3 Bd7; 38.Ng5 Re8;

39.Qcl a3 ; 40.Re l g6; 4l .Rfl QeS ; 42.Nf3 Qxb2+; 43.Qxb2
Bxb2; 44.Ng5 Re7; 45.Rdl Bg4. I resigned.
Although I lost the game, our team won the Pan American
Intercollegiate title. I had played well in my other games,
especially my Sicilian Dragon encounter with Herbst, which is
still cited in many Dragon sources.
GAl\IE LESSON THIRTY-ONE

If you want to offer your opponent a draw, it is
best to do that with a draw offer, as playing for a
repetition of moves can prove cosdy.
100
t STEP FIVE
Lessons in the Endgame
For many years, weak endgame play was often characteristic of

American chess, and to some extent it still is. Avid tournament
players will spend a lot of time, effort and money on opening
preparation, but endgame study has rarely been a priority.
There are a few sensible reasons for this.
Endgame study, especially if attempted alone, is not a
lot of fun. In many ways, I was typical of my generation in
studying openings obsessively, neglecting the less fascinating
fundamentals. Working with a personal trainer is the most
effective, and often most enjoyable, method of acquiring
necessary endgame and middlegame skills. That involves a lot
of commitment, and is uncommon in a country where chess is
primarily played for fun.
Another difficulty presented by endgame study is its huge
mass. There are hundreds of positions that simply must be
known in order to play effectively. One reason that computers
have had difficulty in mastering endgame play is the need to
develop target positions and find ways to reach those goals.
That is quite different from a brute force search which
is always limited at some point to a certain depth. Recently,
programs have been developed which take advantage of
encyclopaedic knowledge and databases of all possible
positions featuring very few pieces. Human beings just don't
have the capacity to process so much data.
In my case, serious endgame study didn't start until I was
in my late twenties. I had a game against Grandmaster Tony
Miles at the 198 1 Regency Masters that forever changed my
attitude.
10 1
Though I had lost many endgames through lack of

knowledge, laziness prompted me to take the attitude that
since there was so much I needed to know about the endgame,
and so little that would apply in any one game, that I could
rely primarily on calculation. The game with Miles was a
brief adventure. I misplayed the opening, but came up with an
ingenious way to obtain a nearly equal game.
The cunning Grandmaster then tempted me to enter one
of a variety of endgames. I recall that there were six different
endgames available, four of which were quite drawable,
one that could be held with precise play, and a horrible rook
endgame with even material. Of course I chose the last one
(rook endgames with even material should be drawn, right?)
and went down to defeat quickly.
The memory of that game lasts as long as the more
successful and entertaining effort in that event against
Paolozzi, presented in the Lessons Learned chapter. I realized
that I simply had to learn how to play endgames better. It took
me some time, but I've managed to play quite a few excellent
endgames and achieve some extra points, though I also still
have unforgivable gaps in my knowledge, as you'll see in the
following games.
Half of each lesson I give to my students is usually on the
endgame. Applying methods I learned from Garry Kasparov's
trainer Alexander Nikitin, I've been able to make endgame
study both intellectually challenging and fun. I wish I had
been able to learn endgames properly when I was young. It
would have spared me a lot of grief! Even if you don't consider
yourself a serious chessplayer, endgame study will lead to
many more pleasurable experiences and it is worth the effort.
When you understand the endgame you can choose wisely
when you are faced with a decision on keeping the queens on
the board.
The six lessons in this chapter don't even scratch the
surface of necessary endgame knowledge. I've written several
102
LESSONS IN THE ENDGAME
books on the endgame, but here I am concentrating on the

psychological and preparation aspects of the endgame.
The fundamental king and pawn endgames and the concept
of the opposition are familiar to most chessplayers, but many
players stop there and don't bother to learn the dozens of
crucial king and pawn endgames, which are tricky. These are
best learned from endgame studies, which usually combine
several important themes. Such positions are hard to play, if
you don't know them, and it is easy to go wrong, as in Schiller
vs. Mar.
Knowing the basics can actually hurt you if you place too
much confidence in platitudes such as the "bishops of opposite
color usually draw." It is never quite that simple, and it is
important to try to analyze endgames deeply and not stop when
some general consideration kicks in.
The endgame requires more objectivity than earlier phases
of the game. In many cases, the "correct" result is already
known, at least to computers and reference books. If the
position is drawish there isn't too much that can be done about
it. Excessive ambition can bring ruin, leaving the player with
no points instead of the half-point a draw would have earned.
Schiller vs. Ravikumar shows the danger.
In many endgames, a particular move is necessary and
cannot be omitted, whether or not it seems relevant or best at
the time. This mistake happens most frequently when long and
elaborate calculations are being made. You can get so caught
up in various long-term considerations that you forget about
some basic move that must be played right away.
In Shamkovich vs. Schiller, we see how important it is
to pay as much attention to empty squares as those that are
occupied. In endgames, many of the squares are empty but may
play a critical role if the enemy is allowed to take advantage
of them.
103
KNO W ALL THE BASIC KING AND PAWN

POSITIONS!
If you understand which pawn endgames are decisive and

which are likely to be drawn, you can make good decisions
on trading pieces. In the next game I handle that part of the
decision process well. However, though I instinctively felt
the position was drawn, I didn't remember how to do it! The
drawing method is well known, but if it lies out there in books,
it can't help you. It has to be burned into your memory.
Position
Grefe
vs.
after 38.g4
Schiller, People's Open , Berkeley, 1 994
With White short of time, and confidence in the pawn

ending, I decided to be confrontational.
38 Na5+ ! ? There is no need for this, and of course it is an
irrevocable action. But I was confident I could draw the king
and pawn endgame. My instincts were correct.
But "can" isn't the same as "does." After, 38...f5, the
endgame should be drawn without too much trouble, but I
wasn't sure. In any case, I knew that the former U.S. Champion
would torture me until all time controls were exhausted. By the
.
104
next year I had mastered the position with knight vs. bishop
with this sort of pawn structure, as you'll see in the Lessons
Learned chapter.
39.Bxa5 bxa5; 40.Kd4. White holds the opposition. That's
a big advantage in a king and pawn endgame. White also has
the b4-break as an option. Black must defend rigorously. 40 ...
h6? ! 40...g5; 4 l.Ke4 Ke6; 42.f5+ Kd6; 43.Kd4 Kc6; 44.Kc4
is the correct plan.
41 .h4 Kc6; 42.Kc4 Kd6; 43.b4. We both misjudged this
move, though the alternative isn't better. 43.h5 gxh5; 44.gxh5
Kc6 (44...f5 allows 45.Kd4); 45.f5 Kd6 is a draw. 43 .axb4;
44.Kxb4 Kc6; 45.Ka5 Kb7.
I think we both saw this position before the minor pieces
came off. I thought this would draw easily. 46.g5 fxg5; 47 Jxg5
hxg5; 48 .hxg5 Ka7; 49.Kb4 Kb6; 50.a5+.
Position
after 50.a5+
50 Kc6?? A study-like draw was available, and I should

have known it. The problem was I had been calculating too
much, and either didn't know or didn't remember the drawing
line. Of course I was also exhausted, but then you have
to be prepared to play endgames even in two-game-a-day
tournaments.
. .
105
If I had recalled this basic endgame idea I would have

truly earned my half-point. My instincts had held up, and I had
reached the drawing line with my bold move ...Na5. All for
naught, because I didn't know a simple drawing method! 50 ...
Kb7!; 5 1.Kb3 Kb8!! does the trick.
51 .Kc4.
Position after 5/.Kc4 .
The control of the opposition wins for White. I didn't

resign yet, because it is my rule to resign only when the result
is obvious even to very weak players. After all, I hate to be
asked why I resigned, as if the position were drawn! I give this
same advice to my students.
Don't play on to the point of being silly. Play the obvious
moves at the end quickly, and use the few moments to compose
yourself before a courteous resignation. Those who know me,
know that sometimes takes more than a few seconds!
Study your king and pawn endgames thoroughly!
106
5 1 . .. Kd6; 52 .Kd4 Ke6; 53.Kc5 Ke7; 54.Kb6 Kd6;

55 .Kxa6 Kc6; 56.Ka7 Kc7; 57 .a6. I resigned.
BISHOPS OF OPPOSITE COLORS DON'T
ALWAYS DRAW
When bishops of opposite colors are on the board, it is much

easier to hold a draw in an endgame where you are a pawn or
two down. Sometimes even three pawns aren't enough to win.
It is easy to be lulled into a sense of false security, especially
when there are rooks on the board. Rooks and bishops work
well together.
In the following game, my opponent has a dangerous
passed pawn, and although I control the promotion square, I
underestimated the unchallenged power of the Black bishop.
Position after 35 . . Bg5
Schiller vs . Mar, Golden Bear Class Struggle

Berkeley, 1998
36.Ra3? 36.a5 was absolutely necessary to eliminate
the pawn that eventually leads to White's defeat. 36 ... bxa5;
107
37.Rxa5 d2; 38.Re5 would not be fun for White, but some
resistance was possible.
36 ...d2; 37.Kfl Rc8 ; 38.Be2 Rcl ; 39.Ral Kg8 ; 40.a5 .
Too late. 40 ...Rxal ; 41 .Rxal Bf6! I simply overlooked
this powerful move. 42.Rb l bxaS; 43.Bc4+ Kf8; 44.Ke2
Bc3; 45 .Rb8+ Ke7 ; 46.Bb3. Finally the bishop controls the
promotion square. One move from salvation, but it is one move
too many.
46 ...d 1Q+ ! ; 47.Bxdl Rd2+. I resigned.
Bishops of opposite color do not guarantee an

endgame draw even when material is equal!
EXCESS IVE AMBITION
When playing with confidence, the ambitious variations

are usually the most appealing. Often the best plan is to settle
for a boring, drawish position. When paired against stronger
opposition, playing for a draw risks being ground down in an
endgame by superior technique . This can lead the lower rated
player to try to bring the endgame to a boil by introducing
complications, taking the game out of the realm of pure
technique where the opponent has superior skills.
The problem with this way of thinking is that the higher
ranked player is probably a superior tactician too. Somehow
the notion takes root that every complicated position brings the
chance that a lucky punch can score a knockout.
In the next game, the psychology wasn't quite like that. I
was having a great tournament, and knew I was playing well.
In the opening, I offered a gambit that my opponent declined,
and the result was a very boring, symmetrical position. Instead
of sitting on the position, I decided to go for an attack in the
endgame. My gambit mood had continued into the endgame,
where such subjective thinking really didn 't have any place.
108
Patience was a lesson I had not yet learned, and it would

be another decade before I began to appreciate the slow and
steady positional approach .
Position after 1 8 . . Rd8
Schiller vs. Welin, Reykjavik Grand Open, Iceland, 1 986
The opening had led to a drawish, symmetrical game.

White has no reason to believe that active play is going to
bring anything special . After a simple move, say 19.Ne3, it is
hard to see anything but a draw resulting. I had been playing
well in the tournament, and wasn't worried that my opponent
was a strong International Master.
I figured he would play on for some time in any case
rather than concede a draw to the lowest ranked player in
the tournament. This makes my decision to play ambitiously
highly suspect.
19.Ra5. Objectively, there is nothing wrong with this move.
Instinctively, I felt that if Black went after the kingside pawns,
as expected, I'd be able to use all three of my pieces against the
enemy king, which had only a few pawns as guardians. I guess
neither of us was in the mood for a draw.
109
It turns out that my instincts were correct, but I lacked

the technique of, say, Mikahil Tal, to carry out the attack. I
know this because Tal joined us after the game and rattled off
a number of fascinating "fantasy variations" leading to wins
in 20 moves or so! I wish I had been able to take notes on all
of them, but we were too busy analyzing. That isn't to say the
position was objectively winning, as the lines did need more
than a bit of cooperation from my opponent, but I must confess
I didn't even see the main ideas of his beautiful lines during
the game.
19 Rd4; 20.Ne5. 20.Ne3 Rh4; 2 l .Rxa7 Kb8; 22.Ra5
Rxh2; 23.f4 Rf2; 24.Nd5 b6; 25.Ra4 is how some of the
analysis started. The position eventually wound up with tricks
on the a8-h I diagonal, but all I remember is that somehow the
Black rook wound up on hi and White used Ra8+, ... Kxa8, and
a bishop check on the long diagonal.
The position after 25.Ra4 is even, as White can play Rc4
to help defend c2. 20 Rf4; 21 .Rxa7 Kb8; 22.Ra3 Rxf2;
23.Nd7+ Kc8; 24.Nc5.
..
Position after 24 Nc5
110
This was the position I was aiming for, threatening a back

rank mate. The problem is the bishop at d1, which must remain
in place to guard the pawn at c2, which cannot be sacrificed
because the knight at c5 would fall to ... Rxc2+. So Bf3 is not
in the near future.
There was, however, an interesting alternative in 24.Nf8!?
I didn't consider this method of controlling d7 and attacking
g6 at the same time. The bonus here is that Rh3 can lead to
the win of the h-pawn. 24... Kd8; 25.Rh3 Nf5; 26.Nxh7 Nd4;
27.Ng5! Ne2+; 28.Bxe2 Rxe2; 29.Rc3 Rxh2; 30.Nf3 Rg2;
3 l.Ne5 should be drawable.
24 c6; 25.h4 Rh2; 26.Ra4? This is a very bad move.
The rook is not designed for passive defense. As my endgame
education progressed, I developed a greater respect for having
an active rook, which is often enough compensation for a
pawn.
If this were a pure rook endgame, I would have played a
more active move, but with the minor pieces on the board I
didn't want to let the h-pawn go.
26 ...Nf5; 27 .Rb4 Ne3!
Position after 2 7. . Ne3!
lll
How ironic. It is the three B lack pieces attacking my

own king! I hadn't thought about that when I went after the
queenside. I had only analyzed the capture of the h-pawn. On
27 ... Rxh4; 28.Rxb7 Rc4 I was going to play 29 .Nb3, intending
to fork at a5 if Black takes the rook.
I thought this very clever, but had the game gone this way
it would have landed in the Too Clever by Half section. 29...
Rxc2+!!; 30.Bxc2 Kxb7; 31.Nc5+ Kc7 is a terrible endgame
for White.
28 .Ne4. 28.Rd4 Bxc2; 29.Bg4+ Nxg4; 30.Rxg4 Bf5 was a
miserable alternative. 28 c5 ; 29.Ra4 Kb8 ; 30.Nc3?? In time
pressure, I drop the game with one move. I doubt I could have
survived in any case, since the passed f-pawn will fly up the
board. 30 ...Nxdl . I resigned. If I capture with the knight, then
... Rxc2+ is deadly. If I use the king, then ... B xc2+ wins the
exchange.
.
GAME LESSON THIRTY-FOUR

In the endgame, maintain absolute objectivity at
all times !
FORG ETTING TO PL AY A NECES S AR Y

MOVE
One error, which is always hard to explain, is forgetting

to play a move. Sometimes after a long period of analysi s,
most of which assumed a starting move, you just forget what
the move was supposed to be. In other cases, such as the next
game, the explanation is somewhat different.
In this game, the natural move is rejected because it
doesn't accomplish the obvious goal. However, it was needed
for defensive purposes.
112
Position after 2 9. .exd5

.
Schiller
vs .
Ravikumar, Four Nation Team Tournament,

London , J985
How could I possibly lose this endgame as White? I have

an inferior bishop, but the Black king can't infiltrate.
GAl\IE LESSON THIRTY-FIVE

Mter thinking for a long time, review the initial
po sition and check again for any threats or
position al factors you might have overlooked.
I forgot to play 30.Be3 here and, as a result, my opponent's

bishop transformed itself into a monster. I had realized that
on Be3, I had no threat at a7 because my g-pawn would be
undefended. So I figured I'd take care of that little problem
before moving my bishop.
30.h4? Bb6! I will now have to wait until my king is in
position before challenging the enemy bishop on the a7 -g I
diagonal. Unfortunately this gave Black time to implement
both defensive and offensive plans.
113
3 1.Kf3 Bd4; 32.Kf4 a6; 33.Be3 Bb2!
superior bishop will grab my weak pawns.
My opponent's
34.Bc5 Bel+;
35.Be3 Bxa3; 36.e6 fxe6; 37.Ke5 Bxb4; 38.Kxe6 Bc3;

39.Kfi d4.
There is no stopping this pawn now. The remainder

of the game was just a matter of seeing if Black could make
time control .
40.Bf4 d3; 4 1.h5 d2; 42.hxg6+ Kh8. White resigned.
E YES FOR THE WRONG SQUARE
In the endgame, it is important to cover squares that can

be used by your opponent to create problems. Often, it is quite
obvious which squares qualify for special treatment, but some
endgames, especially those involving knights, are much harder
to diagnose.
In the next game, there are two potential critical squares,
but one is more important than the other. I chose the wrong
one.
Position
after 65. . Ke3
Schiller vs . Kosten, Four Nation Team Tournament

London, 1985
114
I have managed to get to an endgame with a rather bad

bishop against a strong knight. Surely it can be defended, since
I don't have any undefended properties. There is only one real
chance for Black, and that is to somehow contrive to play ...c5
and liberate the d-pawn. 66.Be7? 66.Be5! is the move.
I had to keep my eye on the c7-square. I didn't appreciate
that, thinking only of c5. 66 ...Nc7 ! ; 67.Bc5 Ke4.
Position after 67. . . Ke4
It is now clear that Black plans ...Ne6 and then I can't

avoid the . ..c5 break. 68.Kd2 Ne6; 69.c3? This hastens the
inevitable. 69.Kc3 Nxc5; 70.dxc5 d4+; 7 I .Kc4 Ke3; 72.b4.
Forced. 72...Kd2; 73.Kxd4 Kxc2; 74.Kc4 Kb2; 75.Kd4 Kb3
and Black wins.
69 ...Nxc5; 70.dxc5 d4; 71 .c4 d3; 72.b4 Kd4; 73.b5
Kxc4; 74.bxa6 bxa6; 75.Kdl KxcS; 76.Kcl Kd4; 77 .Kd2
cS. White resigned.
In the endgame, pay as much attention to empty

s q uares as to occupied s q uares.
115
ADJOURNMENT ANALYSI S DEBUGGED AT

THE BOARD
Before the computer chess age took hold, most tournament

games were adjourned after four to six hours and then resumed
the following morning. This provided excellent opportunities
to deeply study endgame positions, with real rewards for
hard work. At professional events, positions were not usually
analyzed alone. A player would seek out friends among the
competitors and take advantage of all available resources.
When the game was adjourned, there was the matter
of selecting a sealed move to be placed in an envelope and
revealed the next morning at the resumption of play. Once in
the envelope, the move cannot be changed, so it was important
to choose wisely.
The timing was important too. Often a player would hold
back a move until the arbiter was approaching the table, and
play it just in time so that the opponent would have to seal and
wouldn't have the benefit of overnight analysis on the move.
The art of adjournment analysis, which generally was
restricted to a few hours since sleep is also important, was a
true test of endgame understanding. I learned a tremendous
amount from these sessions, often getting the benefit of
Grandmaster advice. In the next game, I would normally have
turned to my friend and frequent co-author, Grandmaster
Leonid Shamkovich, but he was my opponent!
My choice of sealed move was a reasonable one, but not
best. That's not always a terrible thing, since the opponent is
likely to spend most of the analysis time on the most important
lines in the critical variations. I found myself on the receiving
end when the game resumed. My opponent chose a line that
wasn't as strong as the one we had concentrated on.
The game fol lowed a branch of analysis that we hadn't
considered critical, and I was caught by surprise. When an error
in your preparation, whether in the opening or endgame, shows
up at the board it is always a very uncomfortable experience.
1 16
If games were adjourned these days, powerful computer

programs would be available to assist with analysis. The game
would likely conclude with the best moves for each side leading
to an inevitable conclusion. However, you should consider
using adjourned games (or just selected endgame positions)
as part of training. I use this exercise with advanced students.
Position after 44 .Ke3
Shamkovich vs . Schiller, Gausdal International

Norway, 1984
Unfortunately there was double pressure here. We were

into the second time control and the arbiter would soon
approach with the envelope into which I would have to place
my sealed move. There are several possibilities.
I could try to hold the knight vs. bishop endgame after
exchanging on d4. The Grandmaster had played the last few
moves quickly, forcing me to think on my own. If the game
were to be adjourned, I'd have a chance to analyze with
Grandmaster Jansa, with whom I had already had many
instructional endgame sessions as we both seemed headed for
adjournments in almost every game.
117
I didn't want to commit myself to the capture on e4 until

after adjournment. I sought out a waiting move, but couldn't
find one. I then saw that by advancing the c-pawn, I could
get to a forcing variation that would make the adjournment
analysis much easier.
44 . .c5! ? 44.. Bxe4; 45.Kxe4 g6 was the alternative, with
the likely continuation; 46.Bc4 b5; 47.Bd3 Nb6; 48.Kd4+
44 ... Kd7; 45.g4 Ne7; 46.Nd6 h5! ; 47.gxh5 Bxh5. White's
weakened pawn structure gives Black some chances. It isn't
clear how White could make progress. This would have been
the best plan, but I had a feeling that with a less forcing line
my opponent would surely find a way to capitalize on his
positional advantages.
45 .bxc5 Bxe4; 46.Kxe4 bxc5.
.
Position after 46.Kxe4
This much was predictable. Black has four pawn islands ,

and it is very difficult for the knight to defend. The passed
c-pawn is just weak. White's strategy is clear: break through
on the kingside.
47 .g4. We expected 47 .Kd3 Nb6; 48.h5. White should have
prepared the kingside advance in this way, instead of plunging
1 18
right in. In fact, the adjournment analysis concentrated on this

line.
47 Nb6?! This inferior move was chosen because of an
error in analysis later on. My scoresheet shows I took only
about ten minutes to play up to move 53, and only at move 54
was I taken out of the adjournment analysis. 47 ... g6! would
have been best.
I can't recall why this move was rejected. I think it was
mostly a matter of not wanting to put the pawn where the
bishop could get at it. But that is lazy thinking. With the knight
at b6, the formation is solid enough to draw.
In choosing between the move orders, I obviously (in
hindsight) failed to evaluate the position at move 53 properly.
.
48.f5!
Critical, because otherwise I can repair the error with ... g6.
If 50.Kd3 Nb2+; 5 l.Kc2
Na4; 52.Kb3 Nb6, then the wall holds.
48...exf5+; 49.gxf5 Na4; 50.Bc4!

50... Nb6; Sl.Bg8!
Position after 51 .Bg8!
White finds the correct plan. The king will infiltrate via d5
after Black eventually runs out of moves.
119
5 1... Na4? Passive play is unpleasant. Being ground down

by a Grandmaster is often even more unpleasant, as reprieves
are rarely granted. I figured that I couldn't keep the king out
forever, so might as well get it over with. Bad decision.
The correct line was 5 1...Kd7; 52.h5 Ke7; 53.Be6 a5;
54.Ke3 Ke8; 55.f6. Otherwise there is no way to make progress.
55...gxf6; 56.exf6 Kf8; 57.Ke4. Black must give way. 57 ...a4;
58.Ke5 Ke8; 59.Kf5 Kf8; 60.Kg6 c4; 6 1 .Kxh6 c3; 62.Bf5 Kf7;
63.Kg5 Nd7; 64.h6 Nxf6; 65.h7 Nxh7+; 66.Bxh7 Ke6; 67.Kf4
Kd5; 68.Ke3 Kc4; 69 .Bc2.
White wins, because the bishop is of the correct color to
support the a-pawn. A lthough this line is very long, it was easy
to analyze. So during the analysis session, 51 ... Na4 had been
prepared . However, no further time was spent on it.
52.Kd5 Kf8; 53.Bh7 Ke7; 54.Bg6.
Position after 54.Bg6
How is White to make progress? I wasn't quite sure. 54...

Sharnkovich just marks
time while I run out of moves and drop the c-pawn.
57 . .aS; 58.Bh3 Nc3+; 59.Kxc5 Nbl.
a6; 55.Bh5 Kd7; 56.Bf3 Ke7; 57.Bg2.
1 20
Position
after 59.. Nbl
This was the type of defense I had come up with at the

board. White can't defend the a-pawn. So with all the queen side
pawns gone , I can bring the knight to the kingside, annoy the
kingside pawns , and get a draw.
Always double-check adjournment analys is at the

board.
60.Bfl ! I hadn 't reckoned on this retreat! 6l . . .Nd2. Not

60. .. Nxa3? because of 61.Bd3! The knight cannot escape, and
will be captured after Kb6xa5-a4. This was the tactic I missed.
A simple domination theme in pure form!
61 .Bd3 Nf3; 62.Kd5 a4 or 62 ... Nxh4; 63.Be4! with
domination on the other side of the board! I couldn't miss this
after my horrible realization at move 60! 63 .h5 Nd2; 64.Be2
Nb3; 65.Bd l K t7 or 65. ..Kd7 ; 66.Kc4 Nd2+; 67.Kd3 Nb l ;
68.Bxa4+ Ke7 ; 69.Bb5 Nxa3; 70.Ba6. Again the knight is
trapped . 66.Kd6 Nd4; 67 .e6+ Kf6; 68.Bc2! I resigned.
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
There is no way to prevent White from getting a new

queen. If 68. . . Nxc2; 69.e7 Kt7, then 70 .Kd7 Nxa3; 7 I.e8Q+.
My opponent gave me a lesson on the board that was just as
instructive as the hours of adjournment analysis . We also found
some interesting ideas in the post-mortem, where Grandmaster
Shamkovich's excellent technique drew rave reviews.
122
t STEP SIX
Lessons Learned
At this point you've seen enough of my terrible moves. Those

were not my only errors at the chessboard, just a sample of
the ones I consider instructive. To become a Master, and to
continue development even beyond that level, you have to
learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them too often!
In each of the following games, errors made in the previous
games were, for the most part, avoided. As a result, I was able
to defeat many high-ranked players. My peak FIDE rating was
2370, and the majority of my opponents in the games below
were ranked considerably higher than that. I want all of my
readers to know that if you apply yourself, you can defeat
much stronger opposition, or at least avoid losses. This is true
even when your opponent is a Grandmaster!
Most of the games were played in professional competition.
I include one early simul game, because it is instructive and it
remains one of my favorites. Also, I feel an obligation to keep
the game in circulation as my opponent tried to suppress it and
keep it out of the New York Times. He failed.
Otherwise, the opposition includes a number of United
States champions and some familiar names from the chess
world. Though losing to me, or even allowing me to get away
with a draw may have been painful for them at the time, over
the years I've taken enough heads to reduce the stigma. In
many cases, they outplayed me in one or two phases of the
game, only to let me escape and in some cases take revenge.
In some games, I simply had the necessary inspiration to
find the solution and the technique, acquired from previous
lessons on the receiving end, to carry out the plan.
1 23
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
The games have been chosen for their instructive value,

and aren't in any sense a best games collection. Artistic merit
isn't the point here, though I am sure you will find many of
these games entertaining. At the very least, I hope they inspire
you to go out and play your best against your most formidable
opposition!
We start with a couple of examples of good opening
preparation. Garry Kasparov, the J3'h World Champion, is
known for his obsession with pre-game preparation. Amateur
players cannot afford to devote such time and resources to
the task. Still, in openings that are not the most popular, it is
possible to prepare thoroughly, especially if you are familiar
with your opponent's opening preferences.
The first game involves a different sort of preparation,
where an intended night away from the chessboard turns out to
be far from chess-free, but inspiring enough to produce a gem
the next day.
One approach, seen in some games, is to play
confrontationally and optimistically. Another is to play very
solidly, waiting for the opponent to slip up while avoiding
complications. Many players don't have sufficient confidence
to adopt that approach, but remember, if you don't make a
mistake, neither Grandmaster nor supercomputer can defeat
you!
Most players are quite happy to escape from a Grandmaster
encounter with a draw, and that's not easy to achieve. With
cautious play it is possible to get to an even endgame, but
professionals have spent years developing endgame skills.
Having a "drawish" endgame means that the Grandmaster will
likely play for as long as it takes for you to make a mistake.
Even games that are known as technical draws are often won
by the more experienced players.
There are lessons in each stage of the game, from the
opening to the endgame. I've tried to include a bit of background
for the games, so that you can get a sense of the atmosphere,
and appreciate the scale of the upsets.
1 24
LESSONS LEARNED
OPENING PREPARATION
As I've already mentioned, I was fascinated by opening

theory when I was a young player. Even in my earliest Junior
High School games, I used to play the Closed Variation of the
Spanish game 15-16 moves deep. I studied the Najdorf out to
move 25 in some lines, which was very deep at the time.
Although most of my openings were quite standard and
orthodox, as they should be for a young player, I did like
to explore sidelines and forgotten variations. I figured that
an opening novelty would be even more effective if played
in a line of standard opening. The surprise value would be
combined with an assumption that a low rated kid could come
up with a good new move.
In the next game, I knew I would play Black, since it was
a simultaneous exhibition. I anticipated that if Reshevsky
opened l.d4, I could get to a line of the Queen's Gambit that
seemed to me to offer all of the advantages of the Gruenfeld
Defense with none of the drawbacks. And I had a little surprise
ready.
l .d4 d5; 2.c4 dxc4; 3.Nf3 Nf6; 4.e3 g6. Then, as now,
the Smyslov Variation was little more than a footnote in most
books. 5.Bxc4 Bg7; 6.0-0 0-0; 7.Nc3 Nfd7 ; 8.Qe2. 8.e4
Nb6; 9.Be2 Bg4; IO.Be3 Nc6 was played in Evans-Smyslov,
Helsinki Olympiad 1952, which was a game I had studied in
preparation for this contest. Black has a lot of pressure on the
center. Play continued ll.d5 Bxf3; 12.Bxf3 Ne5; 13.Be2 Nec4
with pressure on the long diagonal. After 14.Bcl c6!, Black
had a strong game.
8 ...Nb6; 9.Bb3.
1 25
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 9. Bb3
Reschevsky vs. Schiller, Simultaneous Exhibition

Manhattan Chess Club, 1972
9 . Nc6 ! ? My earliest theoretical novelty of significance. I
knew Reshevsky would choose the normal lines of the Queen's
Gambit. Accepted and once into the rare Smyslov system with
...g6 there isn't much room for deviation. My move was an
attempt to improve on Golombek- Smyslov, Budapest 1952,
which saw 9 . a5. lO.Rdl Bg4; ll.h3 Bxf3; 1 2.Qxf3 Qe8.
.
1 26
LESSONS LEARNED
This move has the goal of blasting open the center. After
the king moves to the h-file, Black can advance both e- and
f-pawns. 13.Nb5?! Gligoric improved against me a week or
two later with 13 .Ne4!, with the threat of Nc5. Serves me right
for getting the game published in the New York Times!
13 .. .Rc8; 14.Bd2 a6; 15.Na3 Kh8; 16.Racl e5! ; 17.d5
e4; 18.Qf4. Now it is clear that the Nc6 is headed for e5,
with the possibility of jumping into f3. If only the g-file were
open and a rook stood on g8, I could really get things going. I
decided to open some lines. 18 g5 ! ; 19.Qxg5 Ne5; 20.Bc3.
.
Position after 20.Bc3
The pin looks strong. But checks have been known to

break pins! 20 ...Nf3+! ! ; 21 .gxf3 Bxc3; 22.Kh l . On 22.bxc3
Rg8; 23.Qxg8+ Qxg8+; 24.Khl. 24. . . Qg6 gives Black a great
game. 22 Rg8 ; 23.Qf4 Qd7; 24.Qh4 Qf5! Black continues to
make threats while improving the position of his queen, before
capturing the pawn at b2.
25i4 Bxb2; 26.Rgl Bxc l ; 27.Rxcl Qg6; 28.Qg4 Qxg4;
29.hxg4 Rxg4. White could have resigned here but played on
another dozen moves. Then he asked AI Horowitz, the New
York Times columnist and Manhattan Chess Club regular, not
to publish the game.
..
1 27
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
But Horowitz, who gave me a few lessons at the club , put

it in, much to the delight of a 17 -year old chessplayer who had
defeated his first Grandmaster, even if it was only a simul.
GAME LESSON THIRTY-EIGHT

To get the game going in your direction, prepare
your openings in advance.
PREPARE DEEPLY!
The preparation in the previous game was not particularly

deep. I had developed the idea of ... Nc6 in combination with
a strategic goal of . . . eS. In the next game, the planning had to
be far more detailed, and I had to guess at what my opponent ,
one of the world 's leading opening specialists at the time, had
planned for me. This is part science, but larger part intuition.
When you know your opponent, you can try to put yourself in
the position of preparing against the possibilities.
l .d4 d5; 2.Nc3 c6; 3.e4 dxe4; 4.Nxe4 Bf5; 5 .Ng3.
I reckoned that he'd try either 5.Nc5 or something in the
main lines. I know that Keene is a fan of the Caro for Black ,
but not the Classical lines. What would he use for inspiration?
5 ... Bg6; 6.h4 h6; 7.Nf3 Nd7; 8 .h5 Bh7 ; 9 .Bd3 Bxd3 ;
10.Qxd3 Ngf6; ll .Bf4 Qa5+; 12.Bd2 Qc7; 13.Qe2 e6;
14.0-0-0 0-0-0. The old main line. These days I castle on the
kingside.
My preparation for this game mostly concentrated on flank
openings, because Keene is an authority on those, but I had a
suspicion that Ray might want to tackle my Caro-Kann. He
really needed a win, as he was not doing well in the round
robin tournament.
15.Ne5 Nxe5 ; 16.dxe5 Nd7; 17.f4 Be7; 18 .Be3!?
128
LESSONS LEARNED
Position after / 8.Be3!?
Keene
vs.
Schiller, Windy City Invitational

Chicago, 1985
As one of the main chess advisors to my publisher at the

time, Batsford, Keene knew that I had translated many books
and articles by Kasparov.
He also knew I didn't have a hand in the book that Kasparov
and Shakarov wrote on the Caro-Kann, though I was probably
familiar with much of it. He found a new idea, a suggestion
by Kasparov in a little note, which claimed an advantage for
White. Why not go with Garry's idea?
As it happened, I was more than a little familiar with the
move. My copy of the book had a little note I scribbled in the
margin which read: 18 .. . Qa5! =. I definitely did not agree that
the position favored White in any significant way.
I was delighted when the position arose at the board, and
for once had no problem remembering my analysis.
18 ... Qa5! ; 19.Kbl NcS ; 20.c3. As expected. Now the
rooks leave the stage.
20 . . . Rxd l+; 21 .Rxdl Rd8; 22 .Rxd8+ Qxd8; 23.Bxc5
BxcS.
1 29
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 23 . .Bxc5

.
I was out of preparation now, but was certain I could hold

the position. Out of respect for his position in the tournament,
I didn't insult him with a draw offer. 24.Ne4 Qd5.
GAME LESSON THIRTY-NINE
If you have already learned the basic opening lines
extend your knowledge deeply in lines that are

popular or are recommended in books.
Why give up the bishop? Why not, as the exchange leads

to an easily drawn queen endgame. 25.Kc2 Be7 ; 26.b3 Qa5 ;
27.Kb2 Qb6; 28.Qf2. Keene's endgame analysis skills have
been demonstrated to me time and time again as we have
worked together a lot . He is a tremendous analyst. Of course
the minor piece endgame is fine for Black, but keeping queens
on the board is easier. 28 ...Qa6; 29.c4 Qa3+; 30.Kbl Qb4!
The exc lamation point is for psychological effect. Instead
of cowardly retreating to a5, protecting the pawn, I keep my
queen's eye on d6, a more dangerous square. The a-pawn can't
be taken because of ... Qe l +. Indeed, Keene could not find any
130
LESSONS LEARNED
useful plan and offered a draw when I returned to the board. I

accepted.
INSPIRATION AS PREPARATION
There are many ways to prepare for a game, but the next
game shows that sometimes inspiration comes from an odd
direction. Sometimes the most appropriate preparation is
to simply relax. If your opening is well prepared and your
opponent is not unfamiliar, much of the decision-making takes
place away from a chessboard.
The game was played at the San Mateo International
Futurity, an internationally ranked chess tournament featuring
local masters and masters from Finland and Spain as well as
the most promising young stars from Northern California.
With two tough games scheduled for Sunday, a night off
at Shoreline Amphitheater for a Phish concert seemed just
the right thing to do to relax before the difficult confrontation
against the runner-up in the year's Denker Tournament of High
School Champions. Adrian Keatinge-Clay, heading to Stanford,
was a master seeking to move up into the international ranks.
Since the pressure was on him to earn his international
ranking, which I already had, I chose to relax. Chess was far
from my mind as I entered the lawn to enjoy my first live Phish
show. What greeted me was a strange sight indeed. On the
left side of the stage, there was a huge chessboard, with all the
pieces in their proper places. I had no idea what was going on,
but escaping from chess might prove impossible.
After the first two songs, the band explained what was
going on. They are all big fans of the Royal Game and spend
a lot of time on the road doing battle at the chessboard. They
would be challenging the audience to a game of chess on this
national tour, with one move played at each concert.
To get things going, they played a couple of moves. The
game began with keyboardist and vocalist Page McConnell
using the normal move l.e4 and a fan by the name of Pooh
(I am not sure about the spelling) responded sensibly with
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
l...e5. Then Page played his pet move 2.Bb5! ?, which is the
unorthodox opening known as the Portuguese Opening. Pooh
took no chances, but slid the game into more orthodox paths
with 2 ... Nc6, and Page responded 3.Nf3, with the game now
in the familiar Ruy Lopez Opening (Spanish Game). These
moves were made to the accompaniment of White Rabbit.
During the set break, people were invited to gather at the
Greenpeace booth and vote on the audience move. Of course
I headed there, and introduced myself as a professional and
current champion of Northern California. Many moves were
suggested by the public.
I explained why I felt that the choice should be between
3 ... a6 (which has been seen in half the games of the Intel
sponsored PCA World Championship then underway in New
York), and 3... Nf6. Eventually 3 ... a6 was selected by vote.
I was then asked to make the move on the stage, which
sounded like fun, so I readily agreed. I was escorted backstage
where I met Page, Mike Gordon, Trey Anastasio and Jon
Fishman, who are the members of Phish.
They are real chess "phans," and I was happy to discover
this, because chess suffers from such a geeky image that to find
brilliant and imaginative alternative music performers with a
love for the game is really rewarding.
Just before the second set began, I walked on stage alone
to make the chosen move before at least 15,000 screaming
fans. That might be a record for people in attendance at a chess
game!
Unfortunately, the complete game, which took place over
period of months in locales scattered throughout the country,
was not recorded for posterity. I wasn't able be at the other
West Coast concerts, because I was moderating the World
Championship coverage on the Internet Chess Club.
On Sunday, I played truly inspired chess to win my match,
creating one of my most satisfying games. It involved a huge,
long sacrifice that required 15 moves by each player to resolve
itself, and I think it is fair to say that my experience at the show
132
LESSONS LEARNED
played a large part in putting me in the all-important frame of

mind necessary to creative play. At the point in the game just
before I delivered the decisive sacrifice, I had that same feeling
that many of us get when absorbed in great music.
There is the fantastic Zen-like feeling that everything
makes sense, that all truth is suddenly revealed even if it cannot
be articulated. For those of us who love chess, it is this, not the
mere defeating of an opponent that matters. This is why we
play, why we devote countless hours to studying the mysteries
of the game, which even after 1500 years or so have not been
worked out by man or machine. And now for the game. . .
l .d4 Nf6; 2 .c4 g6; 3.Nc3 d5; 4.cxd5 Nxd5 ; 5.Qb3.
Slightly off the beaten path. This is a line Jon Tisdall showed
me about a decade ago. 5 ... Nxc3 ; 6.bxc3 Bg7; 7 .Nf3 0-0 ;
8.e3. This solid approach is my own idea. It doesn't promise
White much, but I am content to let the game develop slowly.
8 ... c5; 9.Ba3 b6; lO.Rdl Qc7.
Position
after 10... Qc7
Schiller vs . Keatinge-Clay,
San Mateo International Futur ity, 1 995
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
ll .Bc4?! A poor choice. I just should have settled for

l l .Be2. On c4 the bishop is too exposed. l l Nc6! Threatening
...Na5, attacking my queen and bishop.
12.Bd5 e6; 13.Bxc6 Qxc6; 14.0--0 Ba6; 15 .Rfel Rfd8;
16.Rd2 Rac8; 17.e4 cxd4; 18.cxd4.
This is the position I was aiming for, but I underestimated
how weak my pawn at a2 is.
18 Bc4; 19.Qe3 Rc7 ; 20.Redl Qa4; 2 1 .Rcl aS; 22 .Rdc2
bS; 23.Bc5! Rdc8 ; 24.Bd6 Rc6; 25.Bf4.
.
..
Position after 25 Bf4

.
The plan was to get the bishop to the kingside, where it

might do some good . I begin to sense some real attacking
possibilities, but nothing concrete .
25 .f6; 26.h4. An important move, making room for my
king and adding pressure on the kingside.
This pawn plays a crucial role in the final combination.
26 Bf8.
.
..
134
LESSONS LEARNED
Position after 26...Bf8
This is a critical position. Now the sacrifices begin. 27 .dS!

This will lead to the loss of the exchange. But I have most of
the rest of the game worked out, except for one detail. 27 ...
BxdS ; 28.exd5 Rxc2; 29.Qxe6+ Kg7; 30.Rxc2 Rxc2 . Taking
with the queen would not have made a big difference. 3 1 .Qd7+
Kg8; 32.Qe6+. I am just marking time for a few minutes to
collect my thoughts. The key idea still eludes my calculations.
32 ...Kg7.
Position after 32 .. .Kg7
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At this point the Zen-like light dawned, the incredible

feeling of having the answers to all the questions, of seeing the
clear path to victory. The advance of my pawn from f2-f4 was
hidden in the fog, and looking at the position you can see why:
f4 is occupied by a bishop, and the knight is in the way.
But the truth rushed in from all sides, and I couldn't keep
a little smile from peeking through.
33.Qd7+ Kg8; 34.Ng5! !
Position after 34 Ng5!!
This move forces victory.

34 fxg5. Black has to capture because of the threats at f7
and h7, e.g., 34... Bg7; 35.Qf7+ Kh8; 36.Qe8+ Bf8; 37 .Qxf8#.
35.Qe6+ Kg7. 35 ... Kh8 is dealt with efficiently by
36.Be5+ Bg7; 37 .Qe8#. 36.Be5+ Kh6; 37 .hxg5+ Kh5. Black
also loses if he captures the pawn. 37 ... Kxg5; 38.Bf6+ Kf4;
39.Qe5+ Kg4; 40.Qg5#.
38.Qh3+ Kxg5. 38 ... Qh4; 39.g4+ Kxg5; 40.f4+ Kh6;
4l.Qxh4#. 39J4+!
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LESSONS LEARNED
Position
after 39f4 + !
This i s the point I had to see back at move 32. I didn't

notice the possibility when I started the combination back at
move 27. But even at move 32, I had this worked out through
move 45.
39 ...Qxf4; 40.Bxf4+ Kxf4; 41 .Qf3+ KeS; 42.Qxf8 KxdS .
The rook is no match for the queen, even with two extra pawns.
The pawns fall like ripe apples. 43 .Qd8+ Kc4; 44.Qxa5 b4;
45 .Qc7+ Kd3; 46.Qd6+ Kc4; 47 .Qc6+ Kd3; 48.Qd5+ Kc3;
49 .Qb3+ Kd2 ; SO.Qxb4+ Black could have resigned here, or
earlier, but he was still trying to figure out what had gone so
terribly wrong. SO ...Ke2; 51 .Qe4+ Kd2; 52.Qxc2+!
GAME LESSON FORTY

Go into a game in a good mood, and inspiration
will flow.
A final queen sacrifice to end the game with a flourish.

After the Black king captures the queen, the a-pawn simply
marches up the board until I get a new one . So Adrian resigned.
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THE ROUNDABOUT ATTACK
Sometimes the best way into an enemy position is to sneak

around back. Pieces slide to the flank across the board from the
target, work their way into the enemy home ranks, and then
strike from the side. Rooks and queens work best for this sort
of operation. In this game , the rooks start with a frontal assault
but find the front door locked, so the roundabout strategy is
used.
l .d4 d5; 2.c4 e6; 3.Nf3 c6; 4.Nbd2 f5; 5.g3 Nf6; 6.Bg2
Bd6; 7.0-0 Qe7; 8.Qc2 0-0; 9.Ne5 Nbd7 ; 10.Ndf3.
Position after /O.Ndf3
D. Gurevich
vs .
Schiller, Played in Oak Brook, 1993
This is a standard anti-Dutch plan. The knight at e5 is

supported by both a pawn at d4 and another knight at either
f3 or d3.
10 ...Ne4. Black can safely keep the knight here if an
enemy knight is at f3, so that White cannot place a pawn there.
In many cases the knight can sit at e4 even if the f3-square is
not occupied, since the weakening of the a7-g l diagonal can
prove embarrassing for White if the f-pawn advances.
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LESSONS LEARNED
In addition, g3 can become vulnerable. ll .Bf4. White

invites Black to advance the g-pawn. This is a double-edged
strategy. ll .. .gS ! ? Black accepts the challenge.
12.Nxd7 Bxd7; 13.Bxd6 Nxd6. White now owns a
superior bishop, but Black has plenty of room to maneuver.
14.Ne5 Be8. There are two ways to activate the light
squared bishop in the Stonewall Dutch. Black can fianchetto it
at b7 under some circumstances , most easily when the knight
sits at b8 to defend the pawn at c6. The other plan , seen here,
is to redeploy it on the kingside. 15l4. 15.c5 Nt7; 16.Nxt7
Bxt7; 17.f3 Bg6; 18.e4 f4 leaves White with more problems
to solve than Black. lS ... BhS; 16.Racl Rac8; 17.Kh l . White
takes care to get the king off the a7-gl diagonal in case Black
opens up the game with ... c5.
17 ...Nfi.
18.cxd5 exdS. 18...cxd5 allows White to sacrifice the

queen, though moving her to a safe square is also good.
19.Qxc8 Rxc8; 20.Rxc8+ Kg7; 2 1 .Rfcl Qb4; 22.fxg5 Nxe5;
23.dxe5 Qxb2; 24.Rlc7+ Bt7; 25.Bf3! and White wins.
19.e3 NxeS! Although Black has a bad bishop, there is
little to fear in most of the possible endgames. 20lxe5 Bg6.
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ERIC SCHILLER
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White must now take seriously the threat of advancing the

f-pawn. 21 .Qd2 Kg7. Black prepares to operate on the h-file.
22.b4 h5; 23.Rf2 Rh8; 24.Rcfl h4! ; 25.Kgl . White gets
the king off the dangerous h-file. 25 g4; 26.Rcl Qg5; 27.Rf4.
White does not want to allow ...f4, even as a sacrifice.
27 Rh7; 28.b5 hxg3; 29.hxg3 Qh5.
..
..
30.Qf2? This square is needed for the king. 30.Kf2

threatens Rh l , trapping the enemy queen. 30 ... Qh2; 3 1.Rhl.
Forced, in view of the threat of ... Rh3. 3 I ...Qxhl; 32.Bxh l
Rxh l ; 33.Qb4 cxb5; 34.Kg2 Rch8; 35.Qe7+ Bt7 ; 36.Qf6+
Kf8; 37.Qd8+ Kg7 ; 38.Qf6+ would have drawn. 30 ... Qh2+;
3 1 .Kfl Rhh8!
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LESSONS LEARNED
It looks as though Black cannot make further progress. It

is true that I have exhausted the possibilities on the h-file, but
there is another path to the enemy king, via the queenside, and
with the next very subtle move I prepare a deep and long plan.
32.bxc6. Had Dmitry figured out the point of my last move, he
never would have opened up the b-file.
32.Rb l b6; 33.bxc6 Rxc6; 34 .Bxd5 Rc2; 35.Qxh2 Rhxh2
leaves White too tied down to make any progress.
32 Rxc6; 33.Rxc6 bxc6; 34.Qel . 34.Qc2 Rb8; 35.Kf2
Rb6 and again White has no way to make progress. 34 Rb8;
35.a4 Rb3! White is completely tied down.
36.Rf2. Desperation. The rook should stay in its passive
post at f4, as now the Black bishop enters the game. 36.a5 Rb7
and White is at a loss for a move, as all of the pieces must
remain in place to defend.
36 .. .f4!
..
..
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Sometimes the best way in is to sneak in from the

opposite fl ank.
The deadly threat is .. . Rb I . 37 .Rd2 Rxe3; 38.Qf2 Qxg3 ;

39.Qxg3 Rxg3; 40.Rf2 f3; 41 .Bhl Bd3+ . White resigned .
SPECULATIVE PLAY REWARDED - A
The next game is one of my favorites. The sacrifices aren ' t

completely sound, but the game is fascinating i n its complexity.
It is a good test game for computer chess programs, as some
of the ramifications of individual moves are not revealed until
many moves have been played. Human players have found
it interesting, too . It was played in an early round of one of
the famous Regency Masters tournaments, and analysis of the
game went on every day until the end of the event .
The Regency Hotel in Ramsgate was owned by Ian
Josephs, a chessplayer. He had the presence of mind and
goodwill toward his fellows to use the hotel to host a school for
foreigners, mostly young women, to learn English. The playing
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LESSONS LEARNED
hall was right next to the bar, and the disco was distracting a
number of chessplayers there, but no one complained.
Indeed, those of us who had to brave the storm to get to
Brighton for the next tournament had many reasons to regret
our departure as our driver (trains were shut down) attempted
to drive in heavy snow for the first time. To keep distracted,
the passengers devoted considerable time to further analysis
of the game!
Speculative play is not like gambit play. A gambit has a
specific goal, usually rapid development, with reasonable
possibilities to recover the sacrificed material. In speculative
play, the sacrifice is usually permanent. The complications are
not worked out in advance, though a few appealing tactical
lines usually have floated to the surface.
It mustn't be a bluff, as the sacrifice has to lead to very
concrete positional factors, which give confidence to the
attacking side. The pace of attack does not have to be fast, it
just has to be faster than the enemy's defense. Most speculative
sacrifices take place when enemy pieces are offside and cannot
quickly rush to the aid of the king.
l .e4 c5; 2.Nc3. This move is not necessarily an invitation
to the Closed Variations or Grand Prix Attack. Instead, it is
an attempt to transpose into a normal Open Sicilian, which
normally is reached via 2.Nf3. Therefore Black must be
careful to choose a reply which keeps open the possibilities of
transposing into the main lines.
2 ...e6; 3.Nge2 d6; 4.d4 cxd4. Now we have reached the
standard positions in the opening. 5 .Nxd4 a6. The Najdorf
Variation is one of Black's most popular options, and it will be
reached after Black plays ... Nf6.
6.Be3 Nf6; 7 .g4. This move transposes to systems that
usually arise after 6.g4, known as the Keres Attack. Transposing
back into the normal lines by playing either 7 ..h6 or 7 ... Nc6 is
possible. My opponent reasons that there is another possibility
that suggests itself because of the position of the bishop.
.
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ERIC SCHILLER
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7 .. .hS. In fact, the same reasoning led Swedish Grandmaster

Ulf Andersson to the same conclusion back in the 1970s , and
both played the same reply, advancing the pawn to h5. This
entire system is very popular now, but few players seem to be
aware of its history. At the Groningen GM Open of 1 996, one
Grandmaster excitedly showed me his "new idea" with . .. h5
and I had to burst his bubble.
Position after 7.. h5

.
Schiller vs . Paolou.i, Regency Masters Ramsgate

England, 1981
7 ...h6 transposes to more normal Keres Attack lines ,

though these are by no means harmless for Black.
S.gS Ng4; 9 .Bcl Qb6. This is a departure from the plan
adopted by Andersson , but it is not bad. Black zooms in on the
dark squares.
10.h3 Ne5; l l .Be2 g6; 12.Nb3 Nbc6; 13.f4 ! ? This entails
a bit of risk, exposing a lot of territory near my king. In return ,
however, I keep the initiative. The obvious alternative was to
chase the queen away with Be3. I don't like to chase the queen
away from an awkward square. Thematically, Black must
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LESSONS LEARNED
strive for ... b5, and that entails moving the queen. So why push
it in the right direction?
Fifteen years later two top stars pursued that course.
13.Be3 Qc7; l4.f4 Nd7; 15.Qd2 b5; 16.0-0-0 Bb7; 17.Rhf l
Rc8; 18.Bd3 and White does have a rather pleasant position,
Almasi-Polgar, Tilburg 1996. Well, I couldn't have known that
back in 198 1!
13 ...Nd7; 14.Rfl Qc7; 15.Be3 b5; 16.f5 ! ? This is the
kind of move you hold your breath while playing. I keep the
initiative and weaken the enemy kingside, but I give up control
of the e5-square, which is probably the most important square
on the board. Speculative moves like this have gotten me into
trouble many times, but in this case things worked out well.
16 ... Nde5; 17.Nd4 Bd7. 17 ...Nxd4; 18.Bxd4 is risky for
Black. White threatens to capture at e5, establishing a queenside
pawn majority. For example, 18...b4; 19.fxg6 bxc3; 20.gxf7+
Nxf7; 2l.Rxf7! Qxf7; 22.Bxh8 and the threat of Be2xh5 is
terrible to behold. On the other hand, 17 ... b4; 18.fxg6 bxc3;
1 9.gxf7+ Nxf7; 20.Nxc6 cxb2; 2l.Rbl Qxc6; 22.Bxh5 creates
the nasty threat of g6 followed by g7.
Black will have to return material and is left with a
dangerously exposed king. 22... Qxe4; 23.Bxf7+ Ke7; 24.Qf3
Qxf3; 25.Rxf3 Bg7; 26.g6 Bf6; 27.c3! is better for White. I
didn't see all this at the time, but was confident that whatever
Black chose I'd have good attacking chances especially if the
f-file could be ripped open.
18.fxe6 fxe6.
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ERIC SCHILLER
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19.Rf6! This move is stronger than it looks. Many humans

would reject it quickly, since the rook will be chased away
before it can do any harm. I had my eyes on the weak kingside
pawns. 19 .. .Nd8. Now all Black needs to do is play ...Be7
and the White rook will have to retreat, leaving White with an
inferior game. Or so it seems. I didn 't hesitate to sacrifice the
rook.
20.Rxg6! Nxg6; 2 1 .Bxh5 Nt7. This position has been
used to test computer evaluation functions. Almost all of the
machines fail to find the correct continuations. They do see
that 2 l ... Kf7?? loses instantly to 22.Qf3+, but rarely see what
White's plan is.
22.Bxg6. This is the only reasonable move. 22 Rxh3.
There is now a nasty threat of ...Rh l +.
Here I slip up in my desperation to keep Black from
castling to safety. The correct plan was very hard to see.
23.Bxt7+? ! This is not the most accurate move, since it gives
Black more defensive possibilities. I just didn't consider
23.Kd2! This clever, but seemingly reckless move, would have
given me a very strong attack. 23...Rh2+. 23...Bc8; 24.Qe2
e5 is the line preferred by many computer programs, and it
is absolutely horrible. No human master would advance the
e-pawn, because:
..
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LESSONS LEARNED
a) it means that the Bf8 has no future

b) it critically weakens f5
c) it opens up a huge hole at d5.
25.Nd5 Qb7; 26.Rf l ! is very strong. 26 ... exd4; 27.Rxf7

Qxf7; 28.Bxf7+ Kxf7; 29.Qf l + Kg8; 30.Bxd4. White wins
easily.); 24.Kcl Bc8; 25.Qf3 Rb8; 26.Bh5 threatens to advance
the g-pawn to g6 and then g7, so Black must blockade the g7square. 26...Bg7; 27 .Bgl. Black is in serious trouble. White
has so many threats it is not clear that Black can survive. 23 ...
Kxf7.
24.Qe2!? Here I could have played my king to d2 instead,

but I had hopes of castling to bring my king to safety on the
kingside.
24 ... Qc4? ! This move is an obvious attempt to exchange
queens, and would be played by most players. White's resources
are buried quite deeply and are hard to find, especially in a
tournament situation. Accepting the double-rook sacrifice with
24...Rh1+ would lead to a very long series of relatively forced
moves.
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I only present the main line: 25.Kd2 Rxa l ; 26.Qh5+ Ke7;

27.Nf5+! exf5; 28.Nd5+ Kd8; 29.Qn Kc8; 30.Qxf8+ Kb7;
3 1 .Qxa8+! Kxa8; 32.Nxc7+ Kb7; 33.Nd5. This was as far as
my mind could take me at the time. I had confidence that the
g-pawn was worth the exchange (rook vs knight).
25.Qf2+. Exchanging queens is certainly out of the
question. 25 Kg8 ; 26.g6 Bg7? A time-pressure error. 26...
Rh l +?; 27.Kd2 Rxa l ?! loses to 28.Qn+ Kh8; 29.Qh7#, but
26 ... Be8 was safer, guarding the critical n-square. 27.Qr7+
Kh8; 28.0-0--0! It was finally time to castle! 28 Be8.
.
Now what can White do? 28 ... Rxe3 loses to 29.Rh I +.

29.Qxe6! ! An amazing move, because we see a violation of the
most basic attacking principle: Don't exchange the powerful
queens when attacking. It also violates the near-cardinal rule:
don't exchange pieces when you are behind in material!
I showed this game to Garry Kasparov a few months later
at the super tournament in Bugojno. It gave me considerable
pleasure that even Garry Kasparov couldn't find this in four
minutes although he had recently been awarded Grandmaster
in 1981, and was just starting his climb to the championship.
He recommended the game for inclusion in the Chess
Informant series and it was published in volume 33.
148
LESSONS LEARNED
29 Qxe6. 29... Rxe3; 30.Rh l + wins for White. 30.Nxe6

Rxe3? Black could simply capture at g6 instead, but failed to
see why the fruit at e3 is forbidden. 30 . ..Bxc3 ! is the best move,
and then Black will wind up at least the exchange. Black was
in severe time trouble already, which made it hard to evaluate
the endgames; for example: 3 l .bxc3 Rxe3; 32.Rh l + Kg8;
33.Rh7, where Black has to stop the eternal harassment of the
king with 33. . . Bxg6.
Then 34 .Rg7+ Kh8; 35.Rxg6 Rxe4 leaves Black the
exchange up, though a win still requires a fair bit of work. So
trading queens was the best chance for White.
3 1 .Rh l+ Kg8; 32.Nd5!
.
The threat is Ne7 checkmate! 32 .. .Bxg6; 33 .Nxe3 Bxe4;

34.Rgl Ra7; 35.Rg4 Bh7? A final mistake, with the clock
leaving little time to find that 35. ..d5 !; 36.Kd2! d4; 37.Rxe4
dxe3+; 38.Kxe3 Bxb2 would have earned a draw, assuming
Black could reach time control.
36.Nd5! This wins by force. Black cannot prevent the
liquidation of pieces that leads to a winning endgame for White.
36 ... Kh8; 37.Nxg7 Rxg7; 38.Rxg7 Kxg7. Any competent
player can quickly conclude resignation is inevitable for Black.
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ERIC SCHILLER
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39.Nc7. This wins a pawn. 39 ...Kf6. If the a-pawn had

advanced , then the b-pawn would have fallen. 40.Nxa6 Ke5;
41 .Nc7. My opponent resigned , since if the pawn advances to
b4 , then the knight returns to a6 attacking it, and any further
advance would run into the wall of White pawns . The ending is
such a trivial matter that few masters would bother even trying
to defend.
GAl\IE LESSON FORTY-TWO

Sacrificing to keep the enemy king in the center
often pays off !
SPECUL ATIVE PL AY REWARDED
Speculative play is generally only rewarded when the

opponent plays imperfectly, but this happens in most games
where the players are flesh and blood . In the next game , more
precise defense would have saved the day, but it is tough , even
for a Grandmaster!
l .e4 . e6; 2 .d4 d5 ; 3 .Nc3 Nf6; 4.e5.
The old Steinitz variation is enjoying renewed popularity
these days. A game between Kasparov and Short at the 1994
Euwe Memorial in Amsterdam had made a deep impression
on me , and I was hoping to make use of a plan involving h4,
Rh3-g3 and a kingside attack that worked well for Kasparov.
4 ...Nfd7; 5 .f4 cS; 6.Nf3 Nc6; 7 .Be3 Qb6; 8.Qd2.
The pawn sacrifice offered by this move has rarely been
tested in the tournament arena. I was quite surprised when
Schwartzman accepted it.
8 ...Qxb2; 9.Rbl Qa3.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Position after 9 . . Qa3

.
Schiller vs . Schwartzman, U.S. Open

Alexandria VA, 1 994
10.dxc5. This was an original idea . I O .Be2 was
recommended in an old book by Harding, but it did not impress
me at all. I decided to eliminate the dark-squared bishops and
use Kasparov's attacking formation on the kingside. lO BxcS ;
ll .Bxc5 Qxc5; 12.Bd3 a6; 13.h4 Nb6. 13 . Qe7 would have
made it harder for me to justify the investment of the pawn.
14.Rh3! Nc4; 15.Bxc4 Qxc4; 16.a3!
..
. .
1 51
ERIC SCHI LLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
This is a very important move. I need to free the knight

from the need to hang around at c3 just to defend the poor
pawn.
16 b5; 17.Ne2 Bd7; 18 .Nfd4!
This eliminates the enemy knight, and I have a decent
endgame even without the pawn, because Black is left with a
very bad bishop.
18 ...Nxd4; 19.Nxd4 Rc8.
.
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LESSONS LEARNED
20.Rbb3! There are two points to this move. One is to be

ready to transfer to the kingside at a moment's notice, and the
other point, more subtle, will be revealed shortly.
20 0-0; 21 .Rhg3 f6.
.
I anticipated this standard French counterplay.

22.f5 ! ? I hadn't worked out all the tactics here, but I had
a great deal of confidence and had seen some pleasant long
variations, beginning at move 27!
22 ... exf5. This fell in with my plans. But what about the
alternative? Could I have held the position following 22...
fxe5; 23.Qh6 Rn; 24.Rb4 Qc5!; 25.fxe6 Re7!; 26.exd7 exd4+;
27.Kfl Rf8+; 28.Kg l d3+; 29.Kh2 Kh8! (Avoiding 29 ... dxc2?
which allows 30 .Rbg4! with devastating threats at g7. Another
trap is 29...Rxd7; 30.cxd3.); 30.Qf4! Rxd7 (Not 30... Rxf4??,
which allows 3 l .d8Q+.); 3 I .Qg4 dxc2!; 32.Qxd7 g6, where
Black wins. It might not have been easy, but neither would it
have been a simple matter to find all these moves at the board!
23.Rbc3!
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ERI C SCHI LLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
A critical preparatory move before the real attack begins.

23 ...Qa4; 24.Qh6 Rf7; 2S.exf6 g6.
Black is relying on the pawns for protection, but a brutal

sacrifice rips open the kingside.
26.Rxg6+! ! hxg6; 27 .Qxg6+ Kf8. The king can run but
he cannot hide .
28.Qh6+ Ke8; 29.Qh8+ Rf8; 30.Re3+ Kd8. One rook
must be abandoned, and the other soon follows .
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LESSONS LEARNED
31 .Qxf8+ Kc7 ; 32.Qc5+ Kb8; 33 .Qd6+ Rc7; 34.Rc3

Qa5; 35.Qxc7+. Black resigned.
G A \1E LESSON FORTY-THREE

In sharp positions material isn't as important, so
invensting a little to mix things up is often a good
idea.
SPECULATIVE PLAY REWARDED - C
As I was finishing writing a book on the games of Rudolf

Spielmann , I took part in one of the regular all-Master training
tournaments held monthly in the San Francisco area. I found
myself paired with a very strong opponent , Mike Arne (2400
FIDE).
Since we were due to meet a few weeks later in an IM
norm tournament, I decided that I shouldn't play my special
preparation for him. Naturally with so much Spielmann on my
mind I turned to one of his favorite lines , the Worral Attack
in the Spanish Game. My preparation consisted solely of
annotating a few games for my book , and the choice was made
at the board. So this game shows that it is not necessary to
study a lot of opening theory as White in the Spanish Game.
All that is needed is some basic concepts, and either courage
or recklessness!
l .e4 e5; 2.Nf3 Nc6; 3.Bb5 a6; 4.Ba4 Nf6; 5.Qe2 b5;
6.Bb3 Bc5 . The sharpest continuation. 7.c3 ; 8. d6. 8.
d5 is a good alternative. 9.h3. This is not necessary, as Black's
bishop is headed to b7 , but I wanted to make sure it was kept
off of g4 where the pin on the knight would weaken my control
of d4.
9 ...Bb7; lO.Rd l ReS; l l .a4 b4; 12.a5 Qb8? ! In retrospect ,
this is an error. The simple 12... Qe7 would have given Black
an equal game.
13.d4!?
. .
I SS
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Position after 13 . d4
Schiller vs . Arne, Foster City, 1 995
This is a speculative sacrifice. I saw the Black forces

huddled on the queenside and felt that a pawn could safely be
invested for good attacking chances. My bishops will be very
strong
13 ... exd4; 14.cxd4 Ba7. l 4.. . Rxe4 was certainly playable,
but I felt that I would then have sufficient compensation after
l 5.Be3!?
lS.eS! One would think that this move would be more
dangerous to White, since the Black rook at e8 is lined up
against the queen. The goal is to remove the knight from f6,
leaving the kingside defended by mere pawns.
lS . . . dS. l 5... Nd7; 16.Ng5 would have given White a
strong attack. 15 ... dxe5; 16.dxe5 Nd8; 17.Ng5 threatens Rxd8
followed by an assault at f7. 15 ... Re7 would have been met by
16.Bg5, which threatens to smash open the kingside.
16.Qd3! Now Black must try for complications. 16 ... Ne4.
On 16 ... Nd7; 17.Bxd5 Ne7; 18.Bc4 is simple and strong.
17.Bxd5 Nxf2.
1 56
LESSONS LEARNED
The idea is that if White captures the knight the pin on d4

allows captures at e5 with counterplay. Instead, I sacrifice a
bishop and a rook to go after the undefended Black king.
18.Bxti+! ! ; 18.Kxf2 Nxe5; 19.Qb3 Bxd5; 20.Qxd5 Nxf3;
2 1.gxf3 c5 leaves the White king vulnerable to attack.
18 ...Kxti; 19.Qf5+ Kg8; 20.Ng5.
Black might now have tried 20 ... Nxh3+, which would

have required White to find some good moves. 21.Qxh3
Bxd4+! ; 22.Rxd4! Nxd4; 23.Qxh7+ keeps the attack going.
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ERIC SCHILLER
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For example 23 . . . Kf8; 24.Qh8+ Ke7; 25.Qxg7+ Kd8; 26.Be3

Nf5; 27.Qf6+ Ne7; 28.Qe6, or 26...c5; 27.Bxd4 cxd4; 28.Qf6+
Kd7 ; 29.Qf5+ Kc6; 30.Na3! and the knight cannot be captured
because of 3 l.Rc l + and mate follows quickly.
Instead, the game continued 20 Nxd l ; 21 .Qxh7+.
. .
21 Kf8; 22.Qh8+ Ke7; 23.Qxg7+ Kd8; 24.Nfi+ Kd7.

So far, White's moves have been easy. This position looks
great for White, but it is not so simple to keep the attack going.
After all, Black is ready to take the initiative by capturing at d4
with the bishop, which could then become a useful defensive
asset.
..
158
LESSONS LEARNED
25.e6+! Less effective is 25.Nd6+ Re7; 26.Qg4+ Re6 and

unfortunately the d-pawn, being pinned, cannot advance to
d5. Nor does 25.Ng5+ do the trick, as Black retreats to c8.
The Black pieces come alive on 25.Bg5 Bxd4+; 26.Kh l Nf2+;
27.Kh2 Ne7, so the pawn had to be sacrificed.
25...Kxe6. Black can't go to c9 because of Nd6+ followed
by Qd7#. The next series of moves is forced.
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26.Ng5+ Kd5 . The Black king runs to daylight. The

alternative was 26... Kd6; 27 .Bf4+; for example, 27 ... Ne5;
28.Bxe5 Kc6; 29.Qg6+ Kb5; 30.Na3+ bxa3; 3 l .Qd3+ Kc6;
32.Rc l + Kd7; 33.Qf5+ Ke7 ; 34.Bf6+ Kd6; 35.Nt7#, or 29...
Qd8; 30.Bf6+ and mate follows.
27 .Qd7+. If the Black king is allowed to capture the
d-pawn, then the next time it moves it will expose the White
king to check from the bishop at a7, and that may, in some
circumstances, give Black enough time to regroup.
27 ... Kc4; 28.Nd2+ Kd3; 29.Qf5+! Kxd4.
Surely there is a mating net here! There is, but it involves

a problem-like move. 30.Ngf3+! 30.Ndf3+ Kc4+ would have
prolonged the game.
30 ... Ke3; 31 .Kfl ! ! A quiet king move ends the spectacular
combination. The final position deserves its own picture.
160
LESSONS LEARNED
Black resigned , as there
is
no way out of checkmate.
If you want to go king-hunting, you'll need to

provide some bait!
SPECULATIVE PLAY REWARDED - D
l .d4 d5; 2.Nf3 Nf6; 3.e3 e6; 4.Bd3 Be7; 5.0-0 0-0;
6.Nbd2 Nbd7 ; 7.b3 ReS; 8.Bb2 aS; 9.Ne5 a4; 10.f4 Nf8;
ll .Ndf3 Ne4; 12.Ng5 ! ?
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Position after 1 2 . Ng5
Schiller vs . Jonescu, Zemitis International Futur ity,

San Francisco, 2000
Our final example of speculative play rewarded involves

not only the offer of a pawn, but in a circumstance where
another pawn, the weakling at e3, will be offered as well.
12 Bxg5 Black could also have captured with the knight,
but White comes out on top after 12.. . Nxg5; 13.fxg5 Bxg5;
14.Nxf7 Bxe3+; 15.Khl Qe7; 16.Qe2 Bg5; 17 .Nxg5 Qxg5;
18.Qf3 .
The best defense was 12 ... Nd6!, but after l3.Ba3! ? Black
would be faced with a difficult decision. Capturing at b3 is
unwise. The pawn will eat its way to the promotions square,
but in the meantime, White inflicts too much damage: 13. . .
axb3; 14.Bxd6 b2; 15.Ngxf7 bxalQ; 16.Qxa l cxd6; 17.Nxd8
dxe5; 18.Nxe6 Bxe6; 19.fxe5 and Black is in serious trouble.
Black must also be careful to avoid further weakening the
kingside. 13...f6; 1 4.Qh5! g6; 15.Nxg6 hxg6; 16.Bxg6 fxg5;
17.Bxd6 cxd6; l8.Bf7+ Kg7; l9.fxg5!
Accepting the pawn at g5 leads to the most complicated
variations. 13...Bxg5; 14.fxg5 Qxg5; 15.Bxd6 cxd6; 16.Nxf7
Qxe3+; l7.Kh l e5; l8.Qh5 remains murky. Black can try
..
162
LESSONS LEARNED
either 18. . . g6 or 18... Re7, but faces a difficult defense in either

case. White's attack is worth more than a pawn.
13.fxg5 Qxg5; 14.Bxe4 Qxe3+. Black could insert 14...f6;
15.Bd3, but after 15. . . Qxe3+; 16.Kh l fxe5; 1 7.dxe5, White
still has a strong game.
15.Khl Qxe4; 16.Rxt7.
White's powerful knight and invading rook don't have

much support, but don't need any. Black's pieces remain
useless, while White's rush in.
16 Nd7 . Getting rid of White's knight is a sensible plan.
17.Qh5. Less clear is 17.Rxd7 Bxd7 ; 18.Nxd7 b6. 17 Nxe5;
18.dxe5 axb3; 19.Rafl . It looks as though White could make
progress with 19.Rxc7 Rf8 ; 20.Qg5, but after 20 . . . Qg6;
2 l .Qxg6 hxg6; 22.cxb3, Black has 22. . . Rxa2!
19 ...Qg6; 20.Qf3. Exchanging queens fails to achieve
the objective. On 20.Qxg6 hxg6; 2 l .axb3 Ra2; 22.Bc3 Rxc2;
23.Rxc7 b6; 24.h3 Rd8; 25.Rff7, Black defends with 25. . . Rd7!
20 ...Bd7!
..
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An excellent resource, since capturing on d7 allows Black

to get a rook to f8. Control of that square is crucial.
21 .Ba3! h6; 22.Bf8 Rxf8, or 22 ... bxa2; 23.Rxg7+ Qxg7;
24.Bxg7 Kxg7; 25.Qf7+ Kh8; 26.Ral Bb5; 27.Qg6, with a
tremendous game for White.
23.Rxf8+ Rxf8; 24.Qxf8+ Kh7; 25.cxb3 Bb5 ; 26.Rgl
c6?! Black misses a bitter defense. 26... Bd3! ; 27.Qe7 Be4;
28.Qb4 (28.Qxc7? Bxg2+; 29.Rxg2 Qbl+; 30.Rgl Qe4+=);
28... b6; 29.Qd4 c5 is unclear.
27.Qb4 Qe4? Badly misjudging the endgame. It is too late
to plant the bishop: 27 ... Bd3; 28.Qxb7 Be4 runs into 29.Qb6!
A reasonable practical try is 27 ... Qf5; 28.a4 Ba6, but even here
White is better.
For example, 29.Qd6 Bfl; 30.Qb4 Qf2; 3 1 .h3! Avoiding
the trap seen in the previous note. 3l...Ba6; 32.Qg4 with a
very strong game. The endgame, which follows the exchange
of queens, is easily won if played properly.
28.Qxe4+ dxe4; 29.Rel Bd3; 30.g4!+.
1 64
LESSONS LEARNED
That's the move my opponent failed to consider when he

allowed the queen swap. Although the g-pawn seems to be
vulnerable, it will soon enjoy the direct protection of the king.
A weak backward p awn can be sacrificed for the

initiative .
30 .. .h5. Black hopes White will capture, after which . . .

Kh6 will recover the pawn.
3 1.Kg2! h4. Black needs to decline the pawn, since after
3 l . ..hxg4; 32.Kg3 Kg6; 33.Kxg4 Kh6 ; 34.Kf4, Black has
nothing better than g5+; 35.Ke3 Kg6; 36.Rg l . White will
inevitably infiltrate on the kingside; for example, Kf5 ; 37 .Rg2
Bb l ; 38.Kd4 Kf4; 39.Rf2+ Kg4; 40.b4 Kh3 ; 4 l .a4 g4; 42.a5
g3 ; 43.hxg3 Kxg3; 44.Rf7 etc.
32.Kh3! g5 . Forced. Now the kingside is closed.
33.Kg2 c5 ; 34.Rcl b6; 35.Kf2 Kg7 ; 36.a4 c4; 37 .bxc4.
Black resigned .
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PATIENCE! - A
The games below show how patient, accurate play can

lead to success even against Grandmaster opposition in serious
tournament play. The games start out innocently enough using
the Reti Opening, a system I have adopted in many important
games. Although the opening has a reputation for being rather
quiet, it can build into an aggressive queenside campaign.
I chose the opening because it is very hard to defeat without
taking some risk. The burden of attack is on Black, since White
can pursue queenside ambitions easily.
l .Nf3 d5; 2 .c4 d4; 3.b4 g6; 4.Bb2 Bg7; 5.g3 aS ; 6.a3 e5;
7.d3 Ne7; 8.Bg2 c5; 9.Qb3 axb4; 10.axb4 Rxa l ; ll .Bxal
Nbc6.
Position after 11 Nbc6
Schiller vs . D . Gurevich, Mechanics Masters

San Francisco, 1 997
The game has developed rather quietly. I had to consider

carefully the consequences of my next move. Advancing the
b-pawn secures a great advantage if I can later take control of
the a-file.
166
LESSONS LEARNED
However, opening up the a5-el diagonal has some risk

attached. The complications are not hard to analyze tactically,
but the evaluation of the resulting positions isn't easy.
12.b5. The contour of the game is established. Black has a
weak pawn at b6 . This can be a mantra for White. Just repeat
it over and over and remember that in the end, that pawn at b6
is the key target.
1 2 . . . Qa5+; 13.Nfd2 Nb4. 13 . . . Qxa l ; 14.bxc6 Nxc6;
15.0-0 is very unclear.
14.Bb2 0-0; 15.0-0 b6; 16.Na3 Qa7 ; 17 .Ra 1 ! Ownership
of the a-file is crucial . The remainder of the middlegame
requires patient play, taking care to meet all enemy threats
while preparing the invasion via the a-file .
17 . . . Qb8; 18.Nc2 Nxc2; 19.Qxc2 Bg4. Black tries to
get some counterplay. 20.Nfl h5; 21 .h3 Be6; 22.Qa4 Qd6;
23.Bcl h4! A good move , but this was an offer I didn't have
to refuse .
24.Qa7?! Should have just captured at h4. 24 .. .f5; 25.Bg5
Nc8; 26.Qb7 hxg3; 27 .Nxg3 e4; 28.Ra8 Be5; 29.Bh6.
29.Nf l !? might have been considered.
29 ...Rf7. The time for patience is over. Having successfully
infiltrated the enemy position , the next task is to rip pieces off
the board and achieve an endgame in which the queenside
advantage, specifically Black's weakness at b6 , is sufficient
for a win .
30.Rxc8+ Kh7 . The position has grown very complicated,
but I simply and patiently pursue the goal of exchanging
queens .
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3 1 .Bf8! Rxb7; 32.Bxd6 Bxg3 ; 33 .Rc6 Bxd6 ; 34.Rxd6.

The endgame is tremendous for White . The pawn chains
are anchored at the very defensible e2 and f2 squares for White,
but at the weak b6 and g6 squares in the Black camp .
34 ...Bfi ; 35 .Kh2 Rb8 ; 36.Rd7 Kg8; 37 .h4 Ra8; 38.Rb7
Ra2. Black has now taken the a-file and performed his own
infiltration, but the struggle has shifted to the center, where
Wh ite remains superior. 39.dxe4 Rxe2; 40.exf5 Rxf2;
41 .Rxb6. The base of the pawn chain fi nally falls . White's
b-pawn, already well advanced, now has just a few squares to
go to reach the promotion square.
Games involving big chains of pawns require

patient pursuit of the base of the pawn chain.
Bxc4; 42.Rxg6+ Kfi ; 43.b6 Ba6 ; 44.Kg3 Rxf5 ; 45 .Rc6

Kg7 ; 46.Rc7+ Rfi ; 47 .Ra7 d3 . Too late . Black cannot survive .
48.Rxa6. I took the simple road . But there was another, better
win: 48.Bd5 Rxa7; 49 .bxa7 d2; 50 .a8Q d l Q; 5 1 .Qg8+ Kh6;
5 2 .Qf8+ Kg6; 53 .Be4+ Kh5; 54.Qh8#.
1 68
LESSONS LEARNED
48 d2; 49.Ra l c4; 50.Be4 c3; 5 1 .Bc2 Rf6; 52.Rbl Rf8;

53.b7. Black resigned.
.
PATIENCE! - B
Since the Reti had been serving me well, with its slow
approach to the opening, I decided to keep using it against
Grandmasters. Patience is essential to that opening strategy,
which is why it probably didn't serve me well in my younger
years.
l .Nf3 d5; 2 .c4 d4; 3 .g3 g6; 4 .b4 Bg7; 5 .Bb2 e5; 6.d3 a5;
7 .b5 Ne7; 8 .Bg2 0-0; 9.0-0. As in the game with Gurevich, I
grab as much territory as I can on the queenside.
9 c5! A clever defense. If I do not capture, giving up my
prized b-pawn, then the queenside will remain closed and the
base of the pawn chain, soon to be at b6, will remain forever
out of reach.
.
Position after 9 . c5
.
Schiller vs . Yakovich , New York Open , 1998

10.bxc6 Nexc6; ll .Nbd2 Na6; 1 2 .Nel Be6; 13.Nc2 Qd7 .
Black wins the development race, but must have some concerns
over the semi-open b-file. There is nothing much White can
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do at the moment, but by patiently increasing pressure on the

queenside the game will become difficult to play for Black.
14.Ba3 Rfd8; 15.Rbl Rab8; 16.Ne4 h6; 17.Nc5.
My knight on e4 certainly seemed stronger than the enemy
knight at a6, but Black could easily drive my knight back and
the enemy knight did have control of the important b4-square.
Call it an even trade, in an even position.
17 .. .Nxc5 ; 18.Bxc5 Bh3; 19.Rb5. Preparing to put as
much pressure as possible on the pawn at b7. Black will be able
to defend, but that will divert resources from other squares.
19 .. .Bxg2; 20.Kxg2 ReS; 2 1 .Qbl e4. Black is trying to
weaken the base of my pawn chain by exchanging at d3. Since
I control the e3-square, and Black doesn't have a light-squared
bishop, my pawn at d3 will not be easily captured.
22.Bb6 exd3; 23.exd3 ReS.
This is no time for nervous play. Black has no real threats

and the bishop at g7 has no influence. Time to calmly decide
which pieces should be removed from the board. I decide to
eliminate all the rooks. Although this gives me less pressure at
b7, I can concentrate on the weak pawn at a5 as well.
1 70
LESSONS LEARNED
24.Re l ! Rbe8; 25.Rbxe5 Rxe5; 26.Rxe5 Nxe5 . White has

to be a little careful about the weaknesses of the light squares,
and especially the a8-h I diagonal.
27 .Qb5 ! Qg4. 27 ... Qxb5 ; 28.cxb5 Nxd3; 29.Bxd4 didn't
really come into consideration . This was round 1, and the
Grandmaster wasn't going to let me off with an easy draw!
28.Nxd4 Nxd3 ; 29.Qe8+ Bf8. The game is still even,
which means my opponent was feeling the pressure of trying
to defeat a lower-ranked opponent.
30.Qe3.
This move contains a trap, which my opponent did not

manage to avoid. The knight should retreat to b4 and then to
c6 if I attack it with my pawn. I can't win the a-pawn in this
line without losing one of my own pawns.
When facing a superior opponent, use slow patient

play until you spot favorable tactical operation s .
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30 Bc5?? In growing time pressure, and after being

under considerable pressure on the queenside, Black blunders.
31 .Bxc5 Nxc5; 32.Qe8+ Kg7 ; 33.Qe5+. The knight at c5 falls,
so Black resigned.
DEEEE-FENSE!
When you are facing a strong opponent, you have to expect

that over the course of the first thirty moves or so you'll often
find yourself defending a difficult position. As we've seen in
many previous examples, the attacking side has the advantage
of not necessarily needing to find the best moves.
The defender, on the other hand, cannot afford a mistake.
Defensive thinking requires paying attention to all threats and
potential threats. As long as you can keep parrying the enemy
thrusts you will be able to hold off the attack.
One of the great dangers faced by the defending side is the
tendency to overestimate a threat. The thought of an enemy
piece invading the position is a frightening one. Still, if it is
just a single piece you may not have much to worry about.
Perhaps the worst case of a single-piece invasion is an enemy
queen at h7 after you have castled kingside.
If the rook hasn't moved, and the queen is defended,
that's going to be checkmate. If, however, an escape route is
prepared via f8 and e7, and the e-file is closed, the invasion
may be nothing more than a minor annoyance. In the best case,
the queen will even find herself offside!
l .d4 d5; 2.c4 e6; 3.Nc3 c5 ; 4.e3.
My opponent is a veteran Grandmaster and has always
preferred a classical and quiet approach to the White side of
the Queen's Gambit.
4 .. .Nf6; 5 .Nf3 a6.
A particular favorite of mine, because it unbalances the
pawn structure and breaks the symmetry.
Here is the early opening position:
172
LESSONS LEARNED
Position after 5...a6
Bisguier vs . Schiller, World Open , Philadelphia, 1 986

6.cxd5 cxd4; 7 .exd4 NxdS . A typical isolated d-pawn
position, with Black securely blockading the d5-square.
8.Bd3 Nc6; 9.0-0 Be7; lO.Rel Bf6; ll .Ne4 h6; 12.Bc2
0-0; 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6; 14.Qd3. The queen aims at h7, hoping
to deliver a checkmate.
14 . . . Rd8 ! ; 15.Be3 Kf8. I am preparing for the invasion at
h7 by opening up an escape route via e7.
16.Racl Bd7; 17 .Bb3 Be8; 18.Qh7. The queen invades,
threatening a nasty check at h8. 18 ...Nce7. My king is now
shut in, but the knight can come to g8 and the minor pieces and
pawns offer plenty of defense.
The bishop can now use c6 as a temporary home to block
the c-file, adding to the security of the king.
19.Bd2 aS; 20.Ne5 Bc6; 2l .Bxd5 Rxd5; 22.Re3.
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White is preparing the killer move Rf3, so I must clear the

path for my bishop. I grab the d-pawn, knowing that it will cost
me the exchange. In return, my bi shop comes alive and f3 will
be unavailable to White.
22 ...Rxd4; 23.Bc3 . Obviously I dare not move this rook.
23 ...Rad8; 24.Bxd4 Rxd4; 25 .Qh8+ Ng8; 26.Nxc6 bxc6;
27 .Rb3.
Again the future looks bleak, but I have a saving resource.
White 's queen can never return to the game, so all I have to do
is neutralize the immediate threat.
27 ...Qf4! This covers b8 while attacking c1.
28 .Rfl Qd6 ! ; 29.h3 Rd l . I now eliminate a pair of rooks
while increasi ng the power of my queen. 30.Rxd l Qxd l+;
3 1 .Kh2 Qd6+; 32.g3 Qd4!
GAME LESSON FORTY-EIGHT
An invading queen is a formidable force , b u t she
can't beat you all by herself !
1 74
LESSONS LEARNED
The knight at g8 is not important if I can establish a

perpetual check at f2. 33.Kg2 Qd5+; 34.Rf3 Qe4; 35.g4 f6;
36.Kg3. Black is certainly no worse, but I agreed to the draw.
AN UNUSUAL STALEMATE
Stalemate themes are common in endgames. Normally, the

king finds himself stalemated with his back to the edge of the
board. Stalemating a king in the center is usually the property
of composers of chess problems. In the next game, a very
unusual stalemate is created, right in the middle of the board!
Position after 38 Rf3
. . .
Macaulay vs . Schiller, Wightman Cup final

London , 1982
Black is in great difficulty here but the last move, played

just before the game was adjourned, provides a small initiative.
The strategy, worked out over the one week interval by the
King's Head team headed by Jon Speelman, with Ray Keene
and Jon Tisdall among others, managed to hold the draw, and
win the championship as a result.
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Speelman came up with the fantasy stalemate idea, and I

found a pawn sacrifice that made it happen . 39.Rd2! ; 39.Rxe5
Rxe5; 40 .Rxe5 Rxf2+ is even .
39 ...Rgf5 ; 40.Kg2 hS! played to prevent g4 , but also part
of a deep plan. 41 .Rh4. This leads to the win of a pawn . 41 .
Kd7; 42.Rxh5 RxhS ! ! 42 . . . Rxf2+?; 43 .Rxf2 Rxh5; 44.Rf6 is
crushing . 43 .Kxf3 Rh l . Black threatens to circle around to
win the b-pawn , forcing White to react vigorously.
44.Kg4 Ke6; 45 .Re2 KdS.
.
Black's king will now be in a stalemate position if

the e-pawn is removed . 46.Kf5. The point is shown in the
variation 46 .f4 exf4; 47 .gxf4 Rh4+! !; 48.Kf5 Rxf4+! ; 49.Kxf4 .
Stalemate! 46 ...Rh5+; 47.Kf6 Rh6+; 48.Kf5 Rh5+. The game
was eventually drawn .
When yow endgame looks sick, try to find a

stalemate trick!
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LESSONS LEARNED
ENDGAME TECHNIQUE - A
The previous game was a most unusual one. In the

following games we will see more generally applicable
endgame strategies. The examples here are instructive because
they show that if you understand which inferior endgames are
drawable, you can escape even from very strong players.
Some players are afraid to enter inferior endgames,
Jacking confidence in their own endgame skills and often
overestimating those of the opponent. If the position can be
held, it is your obligation to hold it. As long as you don't make
a mistake, a half point is yours for the taking. Easier said than
done!
Position after 24 .Bf1
Levitt vs . Schiller, London, 1981

24 Bd3! What is Black doing trying to exchange, when
White will have a material advantage in the endgame? This
is a typical Tarrasch Defense plan, counting on activity to
compensate for material. In the end, White is often better, but
the advantage is insufficient to win.
...
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GAl\IE LESSON FIFTY

An invasion of the s eventh rank ties down enemy
forces and can compensate for minor material
diadvantage .
25.a4. 25.Bh3 would have been stronger, but White doesn't

think the exchange of bishops will hurt. 25 ...Bxfl ; 26.Rxfl
Rc2. A rook on the seventh is so powerful with exposed rim
pawns that White is almost paralyzed.
27 .Ne4 Rd3; 28.b4. White offered a draw, and I accepted.
We agreed afterwards that Black was at least equal here.
ENDG AME TECHNIQUE
Grandmaster Jansa helped me analyze this difficult rook

and pawn endgame. We had adjourned games to look at almost
every round! The hours of study in the evening really contributed
to my knowledge of endgames. I miss adjournments , though
I understand that computers have rendered them a bit less
sporting . Still, you learn so much from analyzing, especially
with others.
Position after 4l .Kd2
Schiller vs . Einarsson , Gausdal International

Norway, 1 984
1 78
LESSONS LEARNED
Most of my friends figured this position was hopelessly

lost, but it wasn't so simple.
4 1 . Ra4; 42.Ke2 eS; 43.Rg6 Rxa3; 44.Rxg4 Ra2+. 44...
c4 would have given me more trouble. On 45.Rg8 Ra2+;
46.Kf3 c3; 47 .Rd8+ Kc4; 48.Ke4 Ra5; 49.Rc8+ Kb3; 50.Rb8+
Kc2; 5l.g4, or 48...c2; 49.Rc8+ Kb3; 50.Kd3 e4+; 5l.Kd2,
Black can't win unless White makes a serious mistake.
45.Kd3 e4+; 46.Kc3 Ra3+; 47 .Kd2 Ra2+; 48.Kc3
Ra3+; 49.Kd2 Rd3+; 50.Ke2. The reason for all this fooling
around is that we were headed toward yet another adjournment
session, when both players could get some more lessons from
our Grandmaster friends!
50 ...Rb3; 51 .Kd2 Rbl ; 52.Kc2 Rfi ; 53.Kd2 Rf3; 54.Ke2
RfS; 55 .Rg8 ReS; 56.g4 Kc4; 57 .gS.
.
Here the game was adjourned again, but a draw is going to

be inevitable. Still, we each got an additional lesson out of it,
but of course agreed to a draw quickly the next morning after
57 ...Kc3; 58.g6 RgS.
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GAJ\IE LESSON FIFTY-ONE

Study endgames with the experts and you'll learn
as much as you can absorb !
ENDG AME TECHNIQUE - C
Even with bishops of the same color, the following

endgame may not be winnable . Both sides were in time trouble ,
with control at move 30 . International Master Walter Shipman
has a well-deserved reputation for persistence in the endgame,
so I knew I was in for a fight .
Position after 24 .Bxa 7
Shipman vs . Schiller, Golden Bear Class Str uggle

Berkeley, 1 998
24 ...0--0 ; 25.0--0 Ra8; 26.Bf2 h5 . Black tries to set up a
drawn rook and four vs. rook and three pawn structure, hoping
to exchange bishops and a pair of rooks later. 27 .ReS . I was
quite pleased to see White cooperate, but there wasn't much
choice as otherwise Black might soon double rooks on the
seventh rank.
1 80
LESSONS LEARNED
27 Rxc5; 28 .Bxc5 Ra2; 29.Rdl g6; 30.Rd8+ Kg7.

.
Time control is reached. White can exchange bishops, but

that leads to a technical, if very complicated, draw. This pure
rook endgame has been analyzed by several World Champions,
and fortunately I had studied it in detail. Black has the ideal
defensive position.
31 .g3 Rc2; 32.Bf2 h4! The threat of ... h3 forces White's
hand. 33.gxh4 or 33.Bd4 Bxd4+; 34.Rxd4 h3 is no problem
for Black. 33 ...Bxh2+; 34.Kfl . 34.Kxh2 Rxf2+; 35.Kg3 Rf l
should also end in a draw.
34 .. .Be5; 35.Rd5 Kf6; 36.Be3 Ke6.
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ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
Black's pieces are ideally posted, and now that there is a

weakness in White's kingside pawn structure a draw is likely.
The sudden death time control encouraged further play.
37.Ra5 Rh2; 38.Ra6+ Kd7! ; 39.Bf2. An attempt to trap
the rook. 39 Rh l+; 40.Ke2 Rh2; 4 1 .Ke3? Hardly the best
way to play for a win as the bishops now come off. 41 . .. Bd4+ ! ;
42.Kxd4 Rxf2; 43.Rf6. The rook must defend the f-pawn and
h-pawn. 43 Ke7; 44.Ke5 Rh2.
Here I offered a draw, though I know that IM Shipman
almost always plays on in an endgame where he has any
advantage, real or imagined. White cannot win against
accurate defense, and in fact it is even possible to exchange the
two Black pawns for White's e-pawn and still have a drawn
position.
45.Rf4 Rh3; 46.Kd4 Rg3; 47 .Ke3 Rgl ; 48.Rg4 Ral ;
49.Kf4 Rhl ; SO.KgS Ral ; Sl .f4 Ra8; 52.f5 gxfS . But not 52...
f6+? since 53.Kh6 gxf5; 54.exf5 Rh8+; 55.Kg7 Rh5; 56.Rf4
wins. 53.Kxf5 Rh8 ; 54.Rf4 RhS+; SS.Kg4 Rh8; 56.h5 f6;
57.Rf5 Ke6; 58.Ra5 Rg8+; 59.Kh4 Rh8; 60.Ra7 KeS.
The sudden death period was running out, and the
remaining moves were made very quickly. 61 .Re7+ Kf4;
62.Re6 fS; 63.exf5. 63.e5 gets nowhere after 63. . . Rg8; 64.h6
Rg4+; 65.Kh3 Rg l . 63 ...Kxf5; 64.Rg6 Ra8. Draw agreed.
..
1 82
LESSONS LEARNED
G Al\IE LESSON FI FTY-TWO

Know the fow pawns against three p awns kingside
rook endgame, as it is especially useful in fas t time
controls !
ENDG AME TECHNIQUE - D
As is usually the case in my games with Grandmaster

Bisguier, he gets a slight endgame advantage. However, over
the years I have improved my endgame play to the point where
I can hold my own. My queenside pawn structure is weak. I
must not give in to temptation and swap bishops. Instead , I
have to aim for an endgame in which my pawn structure is
repaired. Therefore I must wait and let my opponent exchange
pieces at b3.
Position after 25 .Nxd3
Schiller vs. BisRuier, Amer ican Open, Los Angeles, 1995

25 ...Nd4; 26 .Nc5 Bc8; 27 .Kd2 Nxb3+; 28.cxb3. I knew
this endgame structure. With balanced , symmetrical pawns
and three open files in the center, the knight can be effective
1 83
ERIC SCHI LLER
CA RDOZA PUBLISHING
enough to hold the draw. The rest is just a matter of Black's

frustrated attempts to make progress .
Keep the knight in the center in the endgame, so

that it can move to either fl ank as required.
28 . . . Ke7 ; 29 .Kc3 Kd6; 30.Kd4 h6; 3 l .Ne4+ Kc6 ;

32.Ng3 KbS; 33.Ne4. Centralizing the knight .
33 . . . Kc6 ; 34.Ng3 aS ; 3S.Nh5 g6; 36.Nf4 bS ; 37 .Nd3
Be; 38 .b4 axb4; 39.Nxb4+ Kb6; 40.a3 KaS; 4l .Kc3 Ka4;
42.Kb2 Bc4; 43.Nc6 BdS; 44.Ne5 b4; 4S .axb4 Kxb4; 46.f3.
Agreed Drawn .
ENDG AME TECHNIQUE - E
Our final example displays the lesson that confidence plays

in the endgame . Many players would fear entering an endgame
down a pawn in an open position where the enemy also has
the advantage of bishop vs. knight . If you know wh ich pawn
structures are defensible, you can enter such endgames with
decent prospects of earning a draw.
184
LESSONS LEARNED
Position after 37.Bdl
Annakov vs . Schiller, National Open , Las Vegas, 2000
Not a pleasant sight, especially when your opponent is

rated over 2600! My opponent has bishop against knight, a
pawn advantage, and advanced pawns on the flanks. But the
advanced queenside pawns are also a bit weak. I had just
exchanged rooks at d1, a decision that gave me greater drawing
chances, as otherwise the rook and bishop tag team is much
better than rook and knight, never mind the pawn.
My decision was correct. Even though Black also suffers
from a weak pawn at h6, White just doesn't have enough to
create an easy win. Perhaps with 100% correct play White can
prevail. The burden on my opponent is tremendous, while I
just have to avoid weakening my position further and pay close
attention to the queenside.
To begin with, I mustn't allow White to get to b6 first,
because I have to get the pawn off the light square at b7.
37 ... b6; 38.axb6 axb6; 39.Kh2. Since I have eliminated
any bishop threats by placing my pawns on the squares of the
opposite color as the bishop, White starts the journey toward
the pawn at h6. The pawn at b5 can be defended by a bishop
when needed, and if the Black king wanders queenside, then
1 85
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
the kingside pawns fall, and White can sacrifice the bishop for
the b-pawn if it even gets near b l . 39 ... Ke7; 40.Kg3 Nd5.
4 1 .Bf3? ! 4 l .Be2 Nc3; 42.Bf l !? was a better plan.

Grandmaster Annakov didn't see the point of my defensive
plan yet. By the time he did, it was too late!
Don't asswne you can' t hold an inferior endgame,

play as if you are invincible !
41 . .. Nc3; 42.Kg4. The only try. 42.Bc6 doesn't work,

though deep analysis is needed. 42 ... Ne2+; 43.Kg4 Nd4;
44.Kh5 Nxc6; 45.Kxh6! Nd4; 46.Kxg5 where White will just
manage to draw thanks to the kingside pawns. 46 .. .Nxb5; 47 .h4
Nd6; 48.Kf4 b5; 49.Ke5 b4; 50.Kd4 Kf6; 5 l .g4 etc.
42 ...Nxb5; 43.Kh5 Kf6; 44.Kxh6 Nd4! This is what I had
been playing for.
45.Be4 bS; 46.Kh5 b4; 47 .h4. There is nothing better.
47 ... gxh4; 48.Kxh4 b3; 49.g4? 49.Bd3 keeps the game level.
The move played in the game forces a draw. 49 ...Ke5 ! ; 50.Bd3
1 86
LESSONS LEARNED
Kf4! Draw agreed, as there is no way to advance the pawns.

If g5, then . .Nf3+. Black can't win because White can always
sacrifice the bishop for the pawn.
.
1 87
t STEP SEVEN
Final Though ts
I hope you have learned from my mistakes! My lessons were

often painful ones, and trust me, you'd rather not learn the hard
way. Nevertheless, even if you do manage to avoid the pitfalls
you've encountered in this book, there are plenty of other
traps lying hidden in all stages of the game . In order to make
progress, you have to honestly evaluate your play and identify
all of your mistakes . That way you can hope you won't repeat
them, at least not too often.
In writing this book I was fortunate in having access to a
lot of notes scribbled in the margins of my scoresheets . When
you do a post-mortem on your game, preferably with your
opponent right after the game, try to take notice of the key
lines and most interesting variations . Then you can review the
position at home, perhaps with the aid of a chess program.
It is only natural, after a loss, to try to chase the game
from your mind as if it were a ferocious demon. That's why it
is important to review the game once again, after the pain has
subsided and objectivity returns. Just as films
and tapes are used in sports to dissect performance, you
must use your scoresheet as a fountain of knowledge, not as a
reminder of a painful past .
I recommend noting the time used for each move (or at
least every few moves) during the game. This can help remind
you if an error was made in haste, or, as strangely often seems
to be the case, after an extended period of thinking .
The most important thing is to hang on to your scoresheets.
The cold binary bits of computers can hold a list of moves, but
your scoresheets can reveal much more. In my case, you can
189
ERIC SCHILLER
CARDOZA PUBLISHING
easily see where I lose confidence in any chance of survival,

as my handwriting disintegrates. If you write down moves
before you play them , the number of scratch-outs or erasures
can point you to positions in which you experienced some
difficulty, even when reviewed years later.
This advice is practical even for beginners. An instructor
can help a lot more when you can supply a set of games that
show your weaknesses, and of course having scoresheets means
you can also triumphantly put your best efforts on display.
I wish I had records of many more games that I recall
as instructive but where the scoresheet was either lost , or
destroyed (accidental ly, or in some cases, in a fit of rage!) .
Keep your games and study them well , so you can learn from
your own mistakes. After all , I don 't intend to leave behind an
inexhaustible supply!
G A \ I E LESSON FIFTY-FIVE
Treaswe your losses as you do your wins, and they
may wind up bringing you even greater rewards in
the long run!
1 90
OPP O N ENTS IN D EX
(Numbers refer to Game Lessons, not page numbers)
7
54
Levitt
50
Annakov
Ligterink
15
Arne
44
Longren
A l b u rt
Baudo Mercere
Bisguier
Loscutoff
11
Macaulay
Mar
49
33
16
17
48, 53
Blohm
21
Bokan
22
Martinovsky
Browne
13
M e ins
Minic
Coull
23
Cram ling
26
6
5
Mont-Reynaud
29
Norwood
12
DeLange
8
Paolozzi
42
Edwards
14
Pehnec
E i n a rsson
51
Pruess
1
19
Finegold
10
Ravikumar
Frenklakh
24
Reshevsky
Giblen
30
G refe
Gu revich
32
4 1 , 46
l onescu
45
Ivanov
27
Jedzinak
Johansen
25
Joshi
31
Keatinge-Ciay
40
Keene
39
Kiefer
Kosten
Reynolds
35
38
18
Schwartzman
43
Shamkovich
37
Shipman
52
Taylor
28
Thomas
20
Welin
34
Yakovich
47
Zaltsman
36
191
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Brief Notes on Chess Notation

Step 1: Lessons ;n the Open;ng

Forgetting About the Edges

Pins, Forks and Other Objects of Torture

T he Analysis Ain't Done 'Till You Stick a Fork in it

Liberation and Revolution

Know All the Mating Positions!

Step 2: Lessons ;n Bask Strategy

The Opening Revolves Around the Center

Don't Stop Analyzing When You Win Material!

Is it Time to Attack Yet?

Do Not Put Off Until Next Move That

Overly Optimistic Sacrifice

Step 3: Lessons ;n Bask TacUcs

Don't Get Seduced by a Promising Line!

Don't Improvise Your Way into Opening Traps!

Don't Break Too Soon!

Step 4: Lessons ;n the Mjddlegame

Lacking_ the Finishing Touch-A

Lacking the Finishing Touch-B

Too Clever by Half-A

Too Clever by Half-B

Too Clever by Half-C

Survival is not a Temporary Occupation!

Yes, You can Sacrifice on an Empty Square!

Positional Weaknesses Undiagnosed

Step 5: Lessons in the Endgame

Know all the Basic King and Pawn Positions!

Bishops of Opposite Colors Don't Always Draw

Forgetting to Play a Necessary Move

Eyes for the Wrong Square

Adjournment Analysis Debugged at the Board

Step 6: Lessons Learned

The Roundabout Attack

Speculative Play Rewarded-A

Speculative Play Rewarded-B

Speculative Play Rewarded-C

Speculative Play Rewarded-D

Step 7: Final Thoughts

Chess is a game where winning is a result of a mistake . If you

1. L ESSONS IN THE OPENING

The opening contains more danger than mere traps , as

This chapter deals with basic tactical errors , which plague

The next chapter deals with strategic mistakes . Planning

The following chapter deals with middle game lessons , with

5. LESSONS IN THE ENDGAME

We then reach the chapter on endgames. It took me a

After witnessing all of these errors , you might be inclined

I ' ll wrap the lessons up with some final advice and

BRIEF NOTES ON CHESS NOTATION

combined with the square